Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Discourse in the United Kingdom and France during the Iraq Crisis (September 2002–March 2003)
Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Discourse in the United Kingdom and France during the Iraq Crisis (September 2002–March 2003)

Summary/Abstract: Numerous studies conclude that public opinion influences, even if indirectly, the policymakers in charge of foreign policy. This study examines this influence in France and the United Kingdom during the Iraq crisis in the second half of 2002 and early 2003. This study aims to analyse the foreign policy arguments used by the French and British governments, and tries to answer the question as to what the public opinion on the Iraq issue was in these two countries, and whether policymakers could have predicted the development of public opinion on the issue, and adjusted their policy accordingly. After a theoretical background, the study follows in three parts. In the first section, the French and British public opinions on issues of foreign policy are outlined. In the second section, the foreign policy arguments of the French and British elites are analysed. The third section contains an analysis of French and British public opinion on the Iraq crisis, and evaluates such opinions. This analysis shows that public opinion could have constrained the foreign policies of both countries, particularly the United Kingdom. Both the French and British elites had reasons to believe that their arguments would convince the general public of the legitimacy of their policies. However, while the French government had public support, the British cabinet did not,, despite huge efforts to win it.

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