The road to war: Manufacturing public opinion in support of U.S. foreign policy goals

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. THE CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL CONTROL

2.1 Views of the Human Condition

2.1.1 Hobbes

2.1.2 Rousseau

2.2 Methods of Social Control: Physical vs. Ideological Control

2.3 Psychological and Political Perspectives of Social Control

2.3.1 Psychological Accounts

2.3.2 Political Science Accounts

2.4 Sociological Accounts: The Historical Evolution of Social Control

2.4.1 Marx

2.4.2 Ross

2.4.3 Sumner

2.4.4 de Tocqueville and Park

2.4.5 Durkheim, Mead, and Freud

2.4.6 Cooley

2.4.7 Dewey

2.4.8 Parsons and LaPiere

2.4.9 Baldus

2.5 Where Does this Historical Evolution Leave the Concept of Social Control?

2.6 Theoretical and Methodological Issues

2.6.1 Theoretical Issues: Conceptual Problems

2.6.2 Methodological Issues: Naturalistic vs. Normative Traditions

2.7 Concepts Closely Linked with Social Control

2.7.1 Power

2.7.2 Ideology

2.7.3 Hegemony

2.7.4 Language

2.8 Summary

3. CONSTRUCTING A FRAMEWORK

3.1 Describing the Framework

3.2 Defining the Variables that Operate in this Framework

3.3 The Relationship between the Government and Interest Groups

3.4 The Role of Public Opinion in the Foreign Policymaking Process

3.4.1 Theoretical Approaches to the Relationship between Public Opinion and Foreign Policy

3.4.2 Factors Impacting the Role of Public Opinion in the Foreign Policymaking Process

3.5 Public Opinion Research

3.6 Public Opinion Formation and the Role of the Mass Media

3.6.1 Organizing Information in the Process of Forming Opinions

3.6.2 Information, Attitudes, and, Opinions

3.6.3 Sources of Influence on Information Gathering and Attitude Formation

3.6.4 Changing Public Opinion via the Mass Media

3.7 The Capacity for the Government and Interest Groups to Influence the Content of the Mass Media

3.7.1 Agenda-Setting Function of the Mass Media

3.7.2 The Use of Language as a Tool of Persuasion

3.7.3 Limits to Press Freedom: The Implementation of Laws

3.7.4 Limits to Press Freedom: Consolidation of Ownership

3.7.5 Limits to Press Freedom: Economic and Political Restraints

3.7.6 Objectivity: An Impediment to the Free Flow of Information?

3.8 Summary

4. TWO CASE STUDIES: THE BABY INCUBATOR STORY AND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION STORY

4.1 CASE I: THE BABY INCUBATOR STORY

4.1.1 Context of 1991 War with Iraq

4.1.2 Hussein’s Violations of Human Rights

4.1.3 Background to Kuwait

4.1.4 The Gulf War

4.1.5 The Baby Incubator Story: How the US Sold War with Iraq to the American Public

4.1.6 The Proliferation of the Baby Incubator Story in the American Mass Media

4.1.7 The Development of Public Opinion Leading up to War with Iraq

4.1.7.1 Polls from The Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press

4.1.7.2 Polls from the Mass Media

4.1.8 The Baby Incubator Story is Exposed

4.1.9 Was the Baby Incubator Story Successful in Garnering Support for War?

4.2 CASE II: THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION STORY

4.2.1 September 11th and Bush’s War on Terror

4.2.2 Target #1 in the War on Terror: Afghanistan

4.2.3 Target #2 in the War on Terror: Iraq

4.2.4 The Weapons of Mass Destruction Story: How the US Sold War with Iraq to the American Public

4.2.5 Proliferation of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Story in the American Media

4.2.6 The Development of Public Opinion Leading up to War with Iraq

4.2.6.1 Polls from the Mass Media: The Weapons of Mass Destruction Story

4.2.6.2 Polls from the Mass Media: Support for War

4.2.6.3 Polls from The Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press

4.2.7 The Weapons of Mass Destruction Story is Exposed

4.2.7.1 Examining the Nuclear Weapons Threat

4.2.7.2 Examining the Chemical and Biological Weapons Threat

4.2.7.3 Allegations by US Officials, Bush’s Eventual Admission, and Whistle-blowers

4.2.8 Was the Weapons of Mass Destruction Story Successful in Garnering Support for War?

4.2.9 Summary

5. CONCLUSION

5.1 Methodological Issues

5.2 Future Research

Research Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis investigates the capacity of the United States government to influence public opinion, specifically through the initiation and direction of social control campaigns aimed at mobilizing support for foreign policy objectives. The central research question examines how the government, in collaboration with powerful interest groups, influences the mass media to disseminate emotion-provoking justifications for war, thereby restricting the public's access to reliable information and obstructing their democratic participation.

• Analysis of social control theories and their evolution within psychology, political science, and sociology.
• Examination of the structural relationship between the U.S. government, powerful interest groups, and the mass media industry.
• Investigation of public opinion formation mechanisms and the influence of mainstream media agenda-setting.
• Case study: The "Baby Incubator Story" used as a justification for the 1991 Gulf War.
• Case study: The "Weapons of Mass Destruction Story" used as a justification for the 2003 Iraq War.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: Introduces the research topic regarding social control, public opinion, and the influence of the U.S. government on the mass media during the Gulf Wars.

CHAPTER TWO: THE CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL CONTROL: Explores the theoretical history of social control across various disciplines to establish a foundation for the thesis.

CHAPTER THREE: CONSTRUCTING A FRAMEWORK: Outlines the theoretical variables and relationships between government, interest groups, and media in forming a framework for analysis.

CHAPTER FOUR: TWO CASE STUDIES: THE BABY INCUBATOR STORY AND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION STORY: Provides an empirical application of the framework through two historical justifications for war with Iraq.

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION: Summarizes findings and reflects on the broader implications of social control and manufacturing consent on democratic participation.

Keywords

social control, public opinion, foreign policy, mass media, ideology, power, hegemony, democracy, war, military action, United States, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction, baby incubator story, Nayirah

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fundamental subject of this thesis?

This work explores the extent to which the U.S. government possesses the capacity to influence public opinion through social control campaigns during military interventions, specifically focusing on the 1991 and 2003 wars with Iraq.

What are the central thematic areas covered?

The core themes include the dynamics of social control, the power structure between government and elite interest groups, the role of mass media in agenda-setting, and the manufacture of public consent for foreign policy objectives.

What is the primary research goal?

The goal is to determine whether government-directed social control campaigns restrict the public's access to reliable information, thereby obstructing their ability to engage meaningfully in the nation's political and democratic processes.

What scientific methodology is applied?

The thesis employs a theoretical framework built on Marxist, Gramscian, and Chomskyan perspectives to conduct two detailed case studies, utilizing historical media analysis and examination of public opinion poll data.

What does the main body of the work cover?

The main sections analyze the conceptual development of social control, construct a structural framework of state-media relations, and conduct deep case studies on the "Baby Incubator" and "Weapons of Mass Destruction" stories.

Which keywords characterize this work?

Key terms include social control, ideology, hegemony, mass media, foreign policy, U.S. government, war, and manufacture of public opinion.

How does the author define "interest groups" within this framework?

The author adopts Domhoff’s reinterpretation, defining them as a very small, powerful social upper class (the top 0.5 percent) characterized by disproportionate wealth, control over major state institutions, and significant influence over governmental processes.

What role did the "Baby Incubator" story play in the 1991 war?

The story, which alleged Iraqi soldiers stole incubators and left infants to die, served as an emotive, highly effective justification for war. It demonized Saddam Hussein and helped consolidate public support for military action.

Why does the author argue that the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" claim was a fabrication?

Based on extensive post-war investigations and reports from UN weapons inspectors and internal whistle-blowers, the author demonstrates that the claims of an immediate WMD threat were manipulated to justify a pre-emptive war, despite a lack of empirical evidence.