>>It is worth mentioning that public approval or disapproval does not necessarily indicate wisdom, one way or the other. Referendum is interesting, but not entirely the best way to form policy. i am not saying that approval or disapproval of the public - either foreign or domestic - is unimportant, only that it can't be the only factor in deciding extremely complex questions - especially when they are life and death issues.
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>Referendum is generally fraud, specially when the votes are fairly counted. It all depends on the preceding propaganda, and the formulation of the question.
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>We've had a dozen of those all over the place - several of the seceding republics had referenda where they freely expressed their will to secede... but I remember in the Macedonian case the question was so convoluted, and it mentioned "including the option to re-join Yugoslavia later", where the "later" probably meant "when Sloba kicks the bucket". Which everybody knew won't happen, but also knew that wouldn't get affirmative answer if Yugoslavia wasn't promised. Or, only we in Serbia never had a referendum to see whether we wanted to keep the federation or to just get alone like everybody else. But we had one about... something like "do you agree that the foreign forces should be allowed to decide about Kosovo" or something to that effect, where Sloba's propaganda was pounding the "NO!" as the correct answer. There are several reasons for such a question: 1) ordinary Petar Petrovic gets to repeat the "Historic NO" that Tito gave to Stalin in 1948 so Sloba gets to share some of the limelight while mr. Petrovic gets to feel important, 2) Sloba needed the popular support only to show it to the outside world, he was doing what he wanted anyway, 3) there were other possible and more important question, but Sloba wasn't mad about letting people decide there ;).
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>Now with all the technology (including headology, the science of social engineering), imagine if Bushies organized a referendum about anything. Would you bet a beer that they'd lose?

I wouldn't be willing to bet anything. They'd get a part of the population agreeing, but the majority would be dead against anything they proposed.