The issue of public opinion, including its influence on policy making, has been debated by different scholars across the world. There are differences in how realists, including liberals, view public opinion. For realists, public opinion is unstable, lacks consistency, and does not influence foreign policy making, while realists view public opinion as stable, consistent, and therefore influences foreign affairs, including l policy development. The government or policy makers can therefore take into account public opinion or ignore it when making important decisions. This essay will examine why he agrees with the liberal perspective on the role of media and public opinion in foreign policy by focusing on the case of the Vietnam War.2. Defining key concepts Foreign policy can be defined as “the international objectives of the state and its strategies to achieve these objectives” publishers of Sparknotes (2014: Internet). Foreign policy refers to a planned course of action followed by an actor or decision maker at the international level or to interact with other states to achieve certain objectives, including goals. According to Sarmah, “public opinion refers to the opinions of people in general” (2004: 113). This definition suggests that public opinion is the opinions of people in general based on certain issues. Thus, in politics, public opinion refers to the collective opinions of citizens on certain policies or actions of the government3. Dominant models in the analysis of foreign policy Throughout the 20th century, two perspectives or models conquered academic debates, namely the pluralist model including elitist models. The pluralist model assumes that power is isolated throughout society, so that no single interest prevails. The public, including the media, can express their opinions and debate certain issues without any favor. The government cannot silence the media or the public, so the opinions of these two bodies are sometimes taken into account when the government makes crucial decisions or takes action regarding certain policies or events. Thus, the media, including the public, are independent of any political influence and can therefore exert pressure on the government. As Robinson states, “mainstream media are sufficiently independent of political power to enable them to present a wide range of political perspectives” cited by Cox and Stokes (2012: 162). The second model is that of the elite, which is in contradiction with the pluralist model. model in the sense that they view power as concentrated only in the hands of a few powerful individuals in society, furthermore, these groups in power include political leaders, including think tanks, so those who are not included respect the rules established by the elites..