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Framing Foreign Policy Alternatives in the Inner Circle: President Carter, His Advisors, and the Struggle for the Arms Control Agenda
Author(s) -
Garrison Jean A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
political psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.419
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-9221
pISSN - 0162-895X
DOI - 10.1111/0162-895x.00262
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , foreign policy , premise , politics , national security , political science , framing effect , sociology , law , adversary , political economy , public administration , public relations , epistemology , history , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , health communication
This article examines strategic framing efforts within the president’s inner circle of foreign policy advisors. The comparative case study method is used to describe and explain the framing process involved in President Jimmy Carter’s arms control decisions with respect to the Soviet Union. Carter’s two central foreign policy advisors, National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, portrayed the Soviets in very different terms. The premise underlying this study is that advisors attempt to frame their policy preferences favorably in order to influence the group process and the president’s policy choice. Advisors do so by playing up the positive aspects of an option and downplaying any negative aspects. Three components of the framing process are explored: historical/cultural symbolism, personal beliefs and values, and political cost assessments.