Identity as a 'Post-9/11' Foreign Policy Variable: Examining use of Force and Patriotism Interactions in Elite Discourses and Longitudinal Public Opinion Surveys

This Paper reflects the dramatically increased interest in public opinion and foreign policy in the last two decades by examining the changing role of individual levels of pride in their national identity - patriotism - as a driver of attitudes towards the use of force in US foreign policy as a consequence of 9/11 and its aftermath. The Paper focuses on the dynamic between elites, public opinion and the media in shaping attitude formation and change over international crises and in particular, the catalyst event of 9/11. The Paper synthesizes theoretical developments in understanding identity as a driver of public attitudes to foreign policy and uses new methodological combinations bridging the quantitative-qualitative divide to examine whether elites and publics are diverging or converging with respect to the importance of patriotism in foreign policy attitudes and policies over time (1980s to the present year), namely discourse analysis of Presidential party candidates’ convention acceptance speeches with longitudinal surveys tracking public attitudes. Drawing on comparative European literature, the findings will inform whether the importance or otherwise of European identity in elite speeches and public opinion surveys may help explain national variances in European Union foreign policy dynamics.