This is the first book to examine the origins and evolution of global public opinion in national and international policy-making. Written by a highly respected historian, this ground-breaking book provides case studies of world opinion in action, from the ending of apartheid in South Africa, to the protests against sweatshop practices in the early part of the 21st century. Peter Stearns also demonstrates the function and effectiveness of world opinion over the last two centuries, explaining what it is, why and how it originated, where it has succeeded and why. With a full examination of the relationship between world opinion and Islam and the protests against the 2003 Iraq war, author Peter Stearns also assesses the future possibilities of the role of world opinion.