How U.S Foreign Policy Changes Our Perspectives

Presenter: Abraham Garcia Nunez

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 22-23

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: David McCuan

Department: Political Science

Funding Source/Sponsor: McNair

Abstract:
In an exemplary democracy run by elected representatives, it stands to reason that the decisions of said representatives may be guided or influenced by the voters. Afterall, the reason that policymakers are in positions of power in the first place is because of the public, so a majority of politicians tend to try and serve the interest of those who elected them in a concerted effort to appease the public and ensure their reelection. This is especially true in the United States of America in the new age of media where it seems that anyone and everyone has an opinion about what policymakers should be doing with their power. The United States’ democratic societal and political structure allows voters to try and hold their leaders accountable. While this trend may certainly be the case regarding domestic politics, researchers have taken a look at how this dynamic plays out in the realm of foreign policy. Many Political Science researchers have noted that the same trend that exists in domestic politics also takes place in foreign policy decision-making. Most contemporary research out there suggests that U.S Foreign Policy is influenced to an extent by public opinion. My research looks to examine this key relationship, but in other terms. I look to shed light on this concept by pointing out how it is in fact the inverse of this relationship that is actually the case: U.S Foreign Policy has an effect on Americans’ public perception. The methodology of this study will involve the dependent variable of public opinion and the independent variable of U.S Foreign Policy decisions; the hypothesis being that the more proactive American Foreign Policy, the more adverse public attitudes and reactions will be towards said policy. In this case, a proactive foreign policy will be defined as active and frequently involved in affairs around the globe, whether by way of military interventions or diplomatic disputes. In essence, U.S Foreign Policy since World War II could be defined as proactive and it is the post-war era that will lend itself heavily to this research.