Misreading the public : the myth of a new isolationism
Misreading the public : the myth of a new isolationism
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误读公众：新孤立主义的神话
DOI：
10.2307/20049655
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发表时间：
2000
期刊：
影响因子：
7.5
通讯作者：
I. M. Destler
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Philip D. Zelikow;S. Kull;I. M. Destler
美国政策制定者真的知道美国公众对美国外交政策的期望吗？通过对政策界成员的广泛采访，作者揭示了一种普遍的信念-特别是在国会-在冷战之后，公众正在表现出一种新的孤立主义：反对外国援助，敌视联合国，厌恶派遣美国军队参加维和行动。公众的这种观点反过来对美国的外交政策产生了重大影响。然而，通过对民意调查数据以及焦点小组的全面审查，作者表明，所有这些关于公众的信念都是神话。公众确实抱怨美国扮演主导世界领导者的角色超过了它应该扮演的角色，但这并不会导致退出的愿望。相反，人们更愿意与其他国家分担责任，特别是通过联合国。作者解释了这种误解是如何发生的，并提出了改善公众与政策制定者之间沟通的方法，包括更好地展示民意调查数据，以及从业人员对更广泛公众的更多关注。
Do American policymakers really know what the American public wants in U.S. foreign policy? Through extensive interviews with members of the policy community, the authors reveal a pervasive belief --especially in Congress --that, in the wake of the cold war, the public is showing a new isolationism: opposition to foreign aid, hostility to the United Nations, and aversion to contributing U.S. troops to peacekeeping operations. This view of the public has in turn had a significant impact on U.S. foreign policy. However, through a comprehensive review of polling data, as well as focus groups, the authors show that all these beliefs about the public are myths. The public does complain that the United States is playing the role of dominant world leader more than it should, but this does not lead to a desire to withdraw. Instead people prefer to share responsibility with other nations, particularly through the UN. The authors offer explanations of how such a misperception can occur and suggest ways to improve communication between the public and policymakers, including better presentation of polling data and more attention by practitioners to a wider public.