The issue of public opinion and its influence on foreign policy making has been a matter of dispute between different schools of thought both during and since the Cold War. On the one hand realists find public opinion volatile, emotional, lacking coherence and structure, and with little if any influence on foreign affairs. On the other, liberalists suggest that the impact of public opinion on international affairs is stable, sensibly structured, consistent, and influences foreign policy making in a ‘reciprocal relationship'. Hence, some leaders take into account public opinion when making important decisions, others ignore it.
The paper investigates the role of public opinion on foreign policy making in a liberal democracy both theoretically and empirically. The debate between realists and liberalists is explored with particular emphasis on the influence of public opinion on foreign policy making in the United States. The paper then examines empirical evidence in the US and the European Union.
Rudi Guraziu is a Foreign Affairs Consultant - Specialising in the Balkans.
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