FOREIGN-POLICY BELIEF SYSTEMS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE - THE UNITED-STATES AND COSTA-RICA

The hierarchical model of foreign policy belief systems (Hurwitz and P effley, 1987) stipulates that attitudes toward specific foreign polici es (e.g., defense spending or support for new weapon systems) are cons trained by more general foreign policy beliefs (postures and images of other nations) which, in turn, are constrained by even more general c ore values (e.g., patriotism). In this way, U.S. citizens were found t o exhibit consistency and structure in their foreign policy attitudes, despite possessing little information in the domain. To test the gene ralizeability of the hierarchical model, we deliberately selected a po lity which poses a dramatic contrast to the citizens in the United Sta tes-Costa Rica; here we found individuals who are far more pacific and isolationist in their beliefs relative to North Americans. To what de gree do Costa Ricans and North Americans exhibit a common belief struc ture, despite possessing different attitudes? Analysis of analogous mo dels in the two countries reveals that the most important structuring dimension in the United States-militarism-does not ser-ve to constrain specific foreign policy beliefs of Costa Ricans, probably because of their nation's lack of experience in dealing with national security is sues. However, anticommunism and, importantly, images of salient natio ns (e.g., Cuba, Nicaragua, and the U.S.) do structure Costa Ricans' po licy attitudes, leading us to conclude that, as found in the U.S., gen eral beliefs provide constraint to foreign policy belief systems abroa d.