Search

Why do policymakers disagree on threat? This paper seeks to renew discussion on the theoretical basis for explaining variation in threat identification in international politics. While rational, behavioral, and social theories of threat identification exist and inform empirical studies, they tend to struggle with explaining variations in threat identification among actors operating in similar or identical environments. Thus, a need exists to return to the core concepts of threat and threat identification. This paper proceeds in three parts. After a critique of the current literature, it proposes a novel rule-based identity (RBI) theory that is informed by social psychology and social constructivism. This new approach posits that how individuals subjectively define their identity shapes their perceived population of possible threats, thus creating the possibility for variations in threat identification. After a thorough theoretical exposition, the article concludes with an anecdotal example of how the RBI approach can be used to analyze threat in U.S. foreign policymaking [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American flag is a prominent symbol in American politics, yet this prominence has not translated into considerable research attention. Of those who have considered the American flag in political science, it is generally thought that the flag is important because it conveys a candidate's patriotism, which causes voters to consider the candidate to be more desirable. In this way, the American flag is similar to other valence issues, which give candidates an added advantage that is separate from his/her issue stances. In this study, I contend that the flag's valence component is only part of the story. Specifically, social psychology literature suggests that the American flag is influential because it increases the salience and vividness of a given campaign message, which increases the amount of viewer attention. Using NES data I have found evidence that is consistent with the theory outlined above, which I plan on supplementing with an experiment of undergraduate students, in which the American flag is added to political ads taken from 2006 Congressional campaigns. If additional statistical support is found, it would add considerable depth to our understanding of the importance of valence issues and the American flag. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]