The Impact of Public Opinion on U.S. Foreign Policy Since Vietnam

This book is a study of the influence of public opinion on foreign policy making during the Vietnam war, the contra aid controversy, the Persian Gulf war, and the Bosnia crisis. The public opinion research is based on polls and the policy research on statements of and interviews with the actual decision makers. The book shows how public opinion influences major decisions about interventions. It argues that public opinion limits but doesn't set intervention policy. Clearly and simply written, the book explains a major part of how democracy works in U.S. foreign policy. I enjoyed and learned a lot from reading it.