Selling Reagan's Foreign Policy: Going Public vs. Executive Bargaining

This book challenges the conventional wisdom that President Reagan was the indisputable "Great Communicator" by examining his efforts to mobilize public and congressional support for seven foreign policy initiatives. It argues that the public communication efforts of the Reagan administration were neither exceptionally skillful nor notably successful, that the public diplomacy regime had more negative than positive impact, that the going public model had minimal utility, and that the executive bargaining model played a central role in Reagan's governing strategy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2018
Publisher: Lexington Books

This comprehensive book delves into the efforts of President Ronald Reagan and his administrations to garner public and congressional support for seven of his controversial foreign policy initiatives. While each chapter focuses on a distinct foreign policy issue, they all connect to alleged threats to U.S. national security interests posed by the Soviet Union and its allies. When viewed collectively, these case studies provide a clear illustration of the book's overarching theme: a challenge to the conventional belief that Reagan was the undisputed "Great Communicator."

The book contests the widely accepted notion that Reagan was an exceptional and highly effective practitioner of the going public model of presidential communication and leadership. It also challenges the notion that the bargaining model was relatively unimportant during his administration and that the public diplomacy regime was a valuable addition to the administration's public communication assets.

The author employs an analytical approach to examine the historical record, drawing from various academic disciplines and supporting his arguments with extensive archival and empirical research. The book concludes that the public communication efforts of the Reagan administration in the field of foreign policy were neither exceptionally skillful nor notably successful. Furthermore, it suggests that the public diplomacy regime had more negative than positive impacts on U.S. foreign policy. The going public model, which was intended to promote presidential communication and leadership, had minimal utility in selling Reagan's foreign policy initiatives. Instead, the executive bargaining model played a central role in Reagan's governing strategy and essentially defined his presidential leadership role in the area of foreign policy-making.

This study offers a vivid portrayal of the gap between the real-world Reagan and the one that often exists in public mythology. It sheds light on the complexities and challenges of presidential communication and leadership in the context of foreign policy-making, providing valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and the general public.

Weight: 618g
Dimension: 160 x 235 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498569545