| This dissertation examines the relative importance of public opinion as a decision premise in U.S. foreign policy. Foreign policy decision-making is conceptualized as a five-stage process: problem representation, option generation, policy selection, implementation, and policy review. At each stage, the question is asked: how influential is public opinion on a president's decision? To answer this question, public attentiveness is contrasted in crisis and non-crisis foreign policies. While citizens are generally attentive throughout all stages of a crisis, they are only selectively attentive in non-crisis situations. The influence of the public is most evident in the implementation of crisis policies, as presidents are apt to sacrifice strategic effectiveness in order to pacify a highly attentive domestic audience. Conversely, public opinion often plays a pivotal role in the selection of non-crisis policies, but has little effect on how those policies are implemented or reviewed. This research demonstrates that the stage at which public opinion enters the decision-making process ultimately affects the quality and character of U.S. foreign policy. |
