Negotiating in the Public Eye
The Impact of the Press on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force Negotiations
Description:... Does the media have the power to alter arms control negotiations? This study, which combines quantitative analysis of newspaper articles and television reports with interviews of leading journalists and officials, confirms that the media does indeed have the power to influence both the making of policy and the policy agenda. In 1981, President Reagan unveiled a plan to eliminate US and Soviet intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) in Europe. For six years, initiative shifted from one side to the other and the promise of success veered from near-fulfilment to abandonment. The INF Treaty was finally signed by President Reagan and Secretary Gorbachov in 1987. This case study focuses on the role of the press in the arms control process and in US foreign policy-making.
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