ABSTRACT
The public, in this context, refers to a complex group of diverse actors (namely the general public, ngOs, interest groups and corporations) that play sometimesconflicting roles in responding to foreign conflict. Some of these actors are able to take direct action in response to conflict, while others work by speaking and/or applying pressure through policymakers, the media or other actors comprising the public. For some of these actors, foreign conflict is a distant affair with very little relevance to their agendas, while for others it represents a large part of their reason for existence. Still, the similarities among the agendas of many sections of the public and those of the other groups of actors (policymakers and the media, for example) are striking. Examples abound of concentrated attention towards the same chosen conflicts, and marginalization of the same stealth conflicts. given the diversity of the actors that constitute the public, it is necessary to look separately at each. This chapter examines the responses to conflict of each of these sub-groups of actors making up the public arena, in terms of awareness, advocacy, funding and action. It looks at the internal dynamics of each in determining its responses, as well as influences among the sub-groups. Finally, it discusses the various external influences (by policymakers, the media and academia) affecting them.
