"Mediated" two level games : successful and unsuccessful negotiation on Iraq in Germany, France and Britain

This thesis examines the role of the media in affecting the outcome of international negotiation. It asserts that domestic public opinion can affect states' positions in international negotiation. As the primary source of information for the public, news from the media necessarily form public opinion on specific issues. However, this role has been neglected in the literature. Therefore, Robert Putnam's model of international negotiation as a two-level game is modified to include the media as an agent for filtering information between the two levels. The model is tested on the case of negotiation over Resolution 1441 and the use of force in Iraq at the Security Council. In order to isolate the role of the media, this thesis examines three case studies and three time periods. In each case, this thesis found that the media has both a qualitative and quantitative effect. Understanding the role of the media can aid in better understanding different outcomes of negotiation.Arts, Faculty ofPolitical Science, Department ofGraduat