Survey Says: How Americans Really View the World
Prior to the 2018 midterm elections, Notre Dame’s Michael Desch and Northwestern University professor Peter Slevin discussed why many Americans now support active US engagement in the world.
About this event
The upcoming midterms could be an important indicator for the future direction of US foreign policy. Under President Trump the United States has stepped back from its global engagement, withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement, the Iran Deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and is casting doubt over its commitment to NATO. Yet, according to the Council’s new 2018 polling data, many Americans do not agree with this approach, with the largest percentage since the September 11 attacks now supporting active US engagement in the world. What might these striking views have on the future of American foreign policy? And with an eye to November’s midterms, how will the largest eligible voting group, millennials, impact the election?
About the Speakers
CEO, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Ivo H. Daalder served as the US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013. He joined the Council as president in 2013 and took on the new role of CEO in 2023. Previously, he was a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution and served as director for European affairs on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council. He is the author or editor of 10 books.
Michael Desch
Director, Notre Dame International Security Center, University of Notre Dame
Vice President, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
Dina Smeltz, a polling expert, has more than 25 years of experience designing and fielding international social and political surveys. Prior to joining the Council to lead its annual survey of American attitudes on US foreign policy, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US State Department's Office of Research from 1992 to 2008.
Peter Slevin
Associate Professor, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
YP Activities Sponsor
