The Enemy of My Enemy: Threat Perception and Public Support for the U.S. Military

• In Event: Public Opinion and Democratic Politics in South Korea and Beyond

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of studies have examined the domestic and international aspects of US base politics. The literature has explored several different factors that impact a hosting nation’s public opinion towards the US military, including economic benefits and contact with US military personnel. However, much less attention has been paid to the impact of threat perception on host nation public opinion. In this study, we evaluate how the general public’s perceptions of internal and external security threats affect their support for the US military presence. Using survey data, anti-US protest event data, and other primary and secondary sources, we conduct comparative analyses on South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines and scrutinize the effects of threats (and threat perceptions) posed by North Korea and China on host nation public opinion. We expect that as the public perceives external threats as more immediate, they are more likely to support the US military presence. We also expect that external threats are likely to have a greater effect on host nation public support than internal threats.

Authors

• Myunghee Lee

• Charmaine N. Willis, University at Albany, SUNY