CENTRAL ASIA AND THE WEST

Abstract

United States foreign policy is heavily influenced by domestic forces. Public opinion is a key factor, but it is difficult to predict. The news media -broadcast and print- shape public opinion on international affairs and national security. News coverage and commentary focus the public's attention on certain international stories and, in the process of reporting shifts in public opinion, often set the terms of the political debate. Advocacy groups representing constituencies with particular interests in US foreign policy also try to shape the public's understanding of the choices confronting the US government. The policy judgments that emerge from this interplay of domestic forces are often transitory and do not conform to any strategic design. Ideally, policy making should reflect a long-range strategy -a vision of the future.