Shoon Murray

Associate Professor
School of International Service

• Shoon Murray is Director of the US Foreign Policy Master’s Program, an SIS International Policy Research Scholar, and an Associate Professor. She teaches classes on American Foreign Policy, decision-making theory, and the role of public opinion, the media, and interest groups in the making of foreign policy. She has written on topics such as the press coverage leading up to the war in Iraq, the political consequences of September 11th, the effect of polls on presidential behavior, public reactions to military force and the “rally ‘round the flag phenomenon,” and the role of values and partisanship in leaders’ belief systems. Her book Anchors Against Change: American Opinion Leaders’ Beliefs After the Cold War used original survey research to investigate the tenacity of ‘enemy images’ and how much American leaders’ attitudes changed in response to dramatic international events. She is currently working on several research projects: an investigation of whether U.S. Combatant Commanders are encroaching on the State Department’s traditional role of diplomacy; an analysis of US adjustments to rising nations and power diffusion; and a tracking of US public perceptions about China.