Seminar: Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

Political decision-makers regularly screen public opinion. However, whether public support is relevant for a successful foreign policy-making is subject of ongoing controversies. We will scrutinize selected studies that question whether and to what extent public opinion has any influence on decision-makers in matters of international security and cooperation. Another line of literature argues that the average citizen lacks information about foreign events and relies mostly on cues provided by the political elite. In addition to considering the relationship between leaders and the public, we will discuss the role of media as an important source of information.