SGER: Attitudinal antecedents of war

Colgate University, Hamilton NY

Investigators

Abstract

This project, submitted under the Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER), examines the antecedents of public support for U.S. military incursions into foreign states. In particular, it will examine the factors that motivate U.S. citizens to support the proposed invasion of Iraq through methodologies developed in social psychology. The current international situation presents a unique yet perishable opportunity to gather empirical data that address this topic. A growing body of evidence suggests that individuals make punishment decisions on the basis of just deserts rather than utilitarian justifications such as deterrence or incapacitation. The present research will examine whether citizens -- contacted through a nationally representative survey -- respond to potential military action against sovereign states in a similar manner. Specifically, it is hypothesized that support for war will be determined primarily by an individual's perception that the foreign state is deserving of the invasion, and that the invasion represents a morally appropriate and proportional response to prior acts of harm. It is further predicted that concerns with incapacitation (e.g., limiting Iraq's ability to wage war), deterrence (e.g., inhibiting other potential "rogue nations" from threatening U.S, interests), and general utility (e.g., economic outcomes) will be only weakly related to attitudes about the invasion. These studies represent an important step forward in tracing individual psychology to matters of international relations, and will provide a test of whether micro-level theories of punishment can be extended to include macro-level situations.