Rally 'round the Flag The Search for National Honor and Respect in Times of Crisis

by Feinstein, Yuval

• ISBN13: 9780197629710
• ISBN10: 0197629717
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780197629734
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2022-06-14
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

An extensive investigation of the rally-round-the-flag phenomenon of public opinion in the United States during wars and security crises.

The "rally-round-the-flag" phenomenon in the United States is characterized by a sudden and sharp increase in the public approval rating of the sitting US president in response to a war or security crisis. While relatively uncommon, these moments can have a serious impact on policymaking as politicians might escalate a conflict abroad or restrict civil liberties at home. What, then, are the conditions and processes through which rallies have emerged?

In Rally 'round the Flag, Yuval Feinstein revisits the phenomenon to answer this question. He examines both the conditions under which rally periods have emerged in the US and the processes that have generated these rallies to introduce a novel rally theory. Drawing on an original data set of conflicts covering 1950 to 2020 and survey data, Feinstein shows that the rally-round-the-flag effect is not an automatic public reaction to international conflicts. Rather, it is a rare event that emerges only under circumstances that lead most Americans to believe it is necessary to take military action to maintain or restore collective honor and gain the respect of other nations. He further attributes public opinion shifts during rally periods to nationalist emotions that people experience when they believe that the president's actions effectively protect the nation's honor and international prestige.

Identifying the unique sets of conditions for the emergence of rallies, Rally 'round the Flag offers the most extensive investigation of this public opinion phenomenon and proposes future directions to research the topic for both the United States and other countries.

Author Biography

Yuval Feinstein is a Senior Lecturer of Sociology at the University of Haifa and a Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. His research examines the ways ethnic and national identities affect people's attitudes about peace and war, ethnic minorities and other policy issues
in settled and during crisis.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1. The Puzzling Rally-round-the-Flag Phenomenon
PART I. THEORY
Chapter 2. The Rally Phenomenon in Light of Competing Approaches to Public Opinion
Chapter 3. Why do People Really Rally? Context, Actors, Meaning. and Emotions
PART II. INVESTIGATION
Chapter 4. A Plan for Solving the Rally Puzzle
Chapter 5. Saving the Nation's Face: Rallies in Militarized Conflicts
Chapter 6. Standing Up Proudly: Rallies in the Aftermath of an Attack on the Nation
Chapter 7. On the Verge of a Rally: Borderline Cases
Chapter 8. Chivalrous Struggles: Rallies for Saving the Free World
Chapter 9. War that Feels Good: The Role of Emotions in the Emergence of Rally Periods
CONCLUSION
Chapter 10. Moving Forward: Directions for Future Research on the Rally-round-the-Flag Phenomenon
Appendix
Notes
References
Index