American Foreign Policy and Global Opinion: Who Supported the War in Afghanistan?

Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 408-429, June 2005

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 Last revised: 2 Jun 2015

See all articles by Benjamin E. Goldsmith

Benjamin E. Goldsmith

School of Politics & International Relations - Australian National University

Yusaku Horiuchi

Dartmouth College - Department of Government

Takashi Inoguchi

University of Niigata Prefecture

Date Written: June 1, 2005

Abstract

What affects global public opinion about U.S. foreign policy? The authors examine this question using a cross-national survey conducted during and immediately after the 2001 U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. They propose three models of global public opinion — interests, socialization, and influence — and discuss their empirical validity. Socialization variables (e.g., Muslim population and past terrorist incidents) tend to exhibit significant effects. A variable measuring shared security interests, North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership, has significant effects in favor of U.S. policy, but other mutual defense pacts with the U.S. have a backlash effect. Shared economic interests, represented by levels of trade, also have a positive influence. Variables measuring conflicting security interests as well as those measuring U.S. efforts to influence foreign public opinion have insignificant or weak effects.

Keywords: foreign policy, global public opinion, terrorism, Afghanistan, United States

JEL Classification: D74

Suggested Citation

Goldsmith, Benjamin E. and Horiuchi, Yusaku and Inoguchi, Takashi, American Foreign Policy and Global Opinion: Who Supported the War in Afghanistan? (June 1, 2005). Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 408-429, June 2005, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1934599

Benjamin E. Goldsmith

School of Politics & International Relations - Australian National University ( email )

Canberra
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/goldsmith-b

Yusaku Horiuchi (Contact Author)

Dartmouth College - Department of Government ( email )

204 Silsby Hall
HB 6108
Hanover, NH 03755
United States

HOME PAGE: http://horiuchi.org

Takashi Inoguchi

University of Niigata Prefecture ( email )

471 Ebigase
Higashi-ku
Niigata, 950-8680
Japan

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