The US Public Opinion: A Marginal Impact on US Foreign Policy

This chapter assesses the role of US public opinion in shaping US foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa during the period extending from Ronald Reagan’s presidency to Barack Obama’s. We analyze presidential foreign policy decisions with a focus on US military interventions in the MENA region and the results of public opinion polls about major events that coincided with the same period. The chapter’s main purpose is to find out whether US public opinion is more likely to follow the Presidents’ decisions to use force in the MENA area or it is more likely to have an impact on these decisions.