In this second part of his conversation with Jacob Heilbrunn, Michael Mandelbaum examines the decisive role of American public opinion in matters of war and peace. Political and intellectual elites may initiate foreign policy, he argues, but voters ultimately judge its results. From Korea and Vietnam to Iraq, public opposition intensified when military costs, particularly in American lives, appeared to outweigh expected benefits. In the United States, leaders propose policies, but the public retains the power to overturn them.
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