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When democracies go to war: public debate and the French decision on war in 1999 and 2003

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-19, 13:36 authored by Catherine GoetzeCatherine Goetze
On what grounds do democratic states wage war? Public opinion is often considered as being of crucial importance in the decision to go to war. This article analyses two debates over war in France. It finds that democracies debate war within a limited range of arguments from which classical reasons for war such as the geostrategic one are absent. However, within the limited range of arguments, public support for decisions to go to war seems to depend significantly on the convergence of all public opinion actors over the interpretation of the crisis situation. The high politics nature of crisis situations gives the political leadership strong leverage in the shaping of thick discourses. The control function of public opinion is then diminished and a de facto prerogative of the government established even though justifications remain restricted to a limited number of arguments. Thick discourses of justification seem to be framed predominantly by arguments of just war.

History

Publication title

Global Society

Volume

22

Pagination

57-74

ISSN

1360-0826

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Routledge

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2008 University of Kent

Repository Status

  • Restricted

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