Elite Ideologies and Popular Support for U.S. Foreign Policies

Abstract

This article argues that elite policymakers gain broad public support for their foreign policies by drawing upon long-standing ideologies or narratives circulating within U.S. public discourse or culture. These ideologies are the mutually constituent elements of a nationalist self-image that not only helps differentiate Americans from non-Americans, but also serves to justify U.S. hegemonic power. The staying power of ideologies derives from the personification of nations into binary, anthropomorphic figures.