Selling Intervention and War

Examines the competition among foreign policy elites in the executive branch and Congress in winning the hearts and minds of the American public for military intervention, and studies how the president and his supporters organize campaigns for public support for military action. According to the author, the outcome depends upon information and propaganda advantages, media support or opposition, the degree of cohesion within the executive branch, and the duration of the crisis. Also important is whether the American public believes that military threat is credible and victory plausible. [Publisher web site].