American Public Opinion on the Iraq War
Shifts in public opinion have had an impact on U.S. foreign policy
Description
"A substantial contribution to understanding the role of public opinion and the news media during the Iraq War. Equally impressive, it effectively puts the domestic context of U.S. policy in historical perspective, making the book useful to historians as well as to political scientists."
---Ralph B. Levering, Davidson College
"American Public Opinion on the Iraq War sets out to chart against a detailed account of the war a nuanced assessment of how public opinion on the conflict evolved, the partisan differences that emerged, how the issue affected other areas of foreign policy opinion, and the limits of public opinion on policy. It succeeds at all of this, and it does so in a manner that is at once informative, inherently interesting, and exceptionally easy to read."
---Randolph M. Siverson, University of California, Davis
Ole R. Holsti explores the extent to which changes in public opinion reflected the vigorous public relations efforts of the Bush administration to gain support for the war and the partisanship marking debates over policies toward Iraq. Holsti investigates the ways in which the Iraq experience has led substantial numbers of Americans to reconsider their nation's proper international role, and he assesses the impact that public opinion has had on policymakers. Significantly, Holsti places his findings in a broader context to address the role of public opinion and of the media in democratic governance.
Ole R. Holsti is George V. Allen Professor of Political Science (Emeritus) at Duke University. He is a recipient of the International Society of Political Psychology's Nevitt Sanford Award for distinguished professional contributions to political psychology as well as distinguished lifetime achievement awards from the ISPP and the American Political Science Association. His previous titles with University of Michigan Press are To See Ourselves as Others See Us: How Publics Abroad View the United States after 9/11 (2008) and Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy (revised edition, 2004).
Reviews
"An important contribution to the emerging scholarly understanding of public opinion regarding the Iraq conflict, both on its own terms and as a more general case study of American public opinion regarding foreign policy."
---Perspectives on Politics
"An important contribution to the emerging scholarly understanding of public opinion regarding the Iraq conflict, both on its own terms and as a more general case study of American public opinion regarding foreign policy."
- Matthew A. Baum, Harvard University
—Perspectives on Politics
"Holsti’s current analysis is enriched by his long experience in the examination of public opinion and decision-making. ... He refers easily to leadership and decision-making challenges of other eras, and compares how Americans felt about other conflicts. He asks a series of questions that gauge changing American perceptions: were we right to invade... what are criteria for success... was the war in Iraq worth the loss of lives and money?"
- Michael Schneider
—American Diplomacy