Public Opinion, Transatlantic Relations and the Use of Force A Transatlantic Perspective

This book examines the evidence for the theory that there are fundamental differences between American and European public attitudes about the acceptability of military force. Philip Everts and Pierangelo Isernia show that Americans and Europeans share similar attitudes on international affairs but do indeed differ considerably on the issue of military force. This became evident in a number of recent cases of international conflict and military interventions. such as the war over Kosovo just before the millennium, as well as the military actions in the fight against international terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using new data Everts and Isernia chart and explain these attitudes and their determinants. Public Opinion, Transatlantic Relations and the Use of Force takes a deliberately comparative and transatlantic perspective in exploring the sources of these differences and in discussing the political implications of the transatlantic gap on the use of force, as well as in its assessment of the conditions under which it could be bridged or might be aggravated.

Philip Everts has worked at the Universities of Groningen and Leiden, The Netherlands. His research focuses on the role of public opinion in international affairs in democratic societies, particularly with respect to the use of military force. His books and articles on this theme include Public Opinion,The Churches and Foreign Policy, Public Opinion and International Forces (edited with Pierangelo Isernia), and Democracy and Military Force.

Pierangelo Isernia is Professor of Political Science, Chair of the Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences and Director of the LAPS Survey Research Center at the University of Siena, Italy. His field of expertise lies in public opinion and foreign policy, European integration and deliberative democracy. His work has been published in European Journal of Political Research, European Union Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Political Psychology, and Public Opinion Quarterly.

PART I: THE TRANSATLANTIC ORDER, PUBLIC OPINION AND THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE

1. Introduction

2. Theoretical Issues and Empirical Problems

PART II: BELIEFS, SITUATIONS AND TIME IN WAR

3. Partners Apart? The Foreign Policy Beliefs of the American and European Publics

4. The Nature and Structure of the Transatlantic Divide

5. Explaining the Evolution of Attitudes on War: Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo

6. The Determinants of Support for the Use of Force

PART III: THE FUTURE OF THE TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONSHIP

7. Conclusions: An Agenda for Future Crises