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The Almond-Lippmann Consensus presentation

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Created on March 20, 2023

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Transcript

Foreign Policy Analysis

The almond-lippmann consensus

Ole R. Holsti, 1992: "Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Challenges to the Almond-Lippmann Consensus"

Start

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

- Liberal-democratic VS. Realist

1955

1914

1939

inter-war period

Beginning of WW1: the first "public relations war"

Beginning of WW2: emergence of the consensus

Beginning of the Vietnam War: Challenging the consensus

PROPOSITION 1: PUBLIC OPINION IS HIGHLY VOLATILE AND THUS IT PROVIDES VERY DUBIOUS FOUNDATIONS FOR A SOUND FOREIGN POLICY

- An uninformed & uninterested public

- GABRIEL ALMOND

Public opinion is volatile and mood-driven

PROPOSITION 2: PUBLIC ATTITUDES ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARE SO LACKING IN STRUCTURE AND COHERENCE THAT THEY MIGHT BEST BE DESCRIBED AS “NON-ATTITUDES”.

Philip converse, 1964: "non-attitudes"

INTERNATIONALIST VS. ISOLATIONIST

PROPOSITION 3: AT THE END OF THE DAY, HOWEVER, PUBLIC OPINION HAS A VERY LIMITED IMPACT ON THE CONDUCT OF FP.

Bernard Cohen, 1973

State Department officials and public opinion.

CHALLENGES TO THE CONSENSUS

1955

1939

1914

inter-war period

Beginning of WW1: the first "public relations war"

Beginning of WW2: emergence of the consensus

Beginning of the Vietnam War: Challenging the consensus

is public opinion so volatile?

'a strong and stable permissive mood' towards active international involvement

- William Caspary, 1970

do public attitudes lack structure or coherence?

Public opinion does use heuristics.

is public opinion really important?

'no claim is made here that the [public opinion] data and suggestions Lambert and I provided the President [Roosevelt] were crucial to his decisions. But actions taken were certainly very often completely consistent with our recommendations'

- Hadley Cantril, 1967

Thank you!