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Rand Says Majority of Americans back military action
overseas Americans support the global war on terror because
they believe the United States has "important stakes" in the
conflict, and will support other military actions overseas as well if
they believe important stakes are involved, according to a RAND
Corporation study issued today. RAND researchers conclude
that "national leaders should expect a relatively permissive public
opinion environment for taking military action" in operations that
are viewed as directly related to the war on terror, even when U.S.
casualties are expected. Americans will back military action overseas
if they believe the united states has "important stakes" in a battle.
The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, saw most
Americans shifting to a belief that the new war involved "nearly
existential stakes." Asked after 9/11 whether the attack on Pearl
Harbor or the World Trade Center were "more historically
significant," Americans chose the 9/11 attacks by more than three to
one, the report notes. The report adds that support for the U.S. war
in Afghanistan "approached the eight in ten that typically supported
World War II."
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Americans' opinions went on a war footing following the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, often matching
levels of support for military action seen during World War II,
according to the study that synthesizes findings from about 100
public opinion surveys. "The perceived importance of the stakes was
the key belief predicting support for the operation," said RAND
analyst Eric Larson, the report's lead author. Other major factors
influencing a person's likelihood of backing a military operation
include: identifying with the same political party as the president
of the United States, the occurrence of battle casualties, and
beliefs about the prospects for an operation's success, according to
the study. Larson said that U.S. support for the Iraq mission
became "far more stalwart" after 16 soldiers were killed when an Army
helicopter was shot down in November 2003 by insurgents near
Fallujah. This is in contrast to public sentiment after the
infamous "Black Hawk Down" battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 that
killed 18 U.S. troops and wounded many more.
Polls showed a "stiffening" of public support for military action
after the Iraq incident, while polling data showed that Americans
preferred pulling out of Somalia by 2-to-1 margins even before the
Mogadishu firefight. That sentiment strengthened after the battle,
according to the study. The RAND analysis also shows that Americans
weren't big fans of the peace missions conducted during the 1990s,
and they wanted these missions completed with as little cost as
possible.
"None of the peace operations of the 1990s (Somalia, Haiti,
Bosnia, Kosovo) were judged particularly important by most members of
the public, and avoidance of casualties turned out to be a more
important consideration than avoidance of defeat…," according to the
RAND study.
Only three or four of 10 Americans thought the stakes for the
United States were important in Kosovo, Bosnia and Haiti, the RAND
report says. But these figures shot up for the operations in
Afghanistan and Iraq after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on
the United States, with most Americans shifting to a belief that the
new war involved "nearly existential stakes."
Asked after 9/11 whether the attack on Pearl Harbor or the World
Trade Center were "more historically significant," Americans chose
the 9/11 attacks by more than three to one, the report notes. The
report adds that support for the U.S. war in Afghanistan "approached
the eight in ten that typically supported World War II."
Printed copies of "American Public Support for U.S. Military
Operations from Mogadishu to Baghdad" (ISBN: 0-8330-3672-6) can be
ordered from RAND's Distribution Services (order@... or call
toll-free in the United States 1-877-584-8642).
About the RAND Arroyo Research Center The RAND Arroyo Research
Center provides objective analytic research on major policy concerns
to leadership of the U.S. Army, with an emphasis on mid- to long-term
policy issues intended to improve effectiveness and efficiency. The
Arroyo Research Center also provides the Army with short-term
assistance on urgent problems and acts as a catalyst for needed
change. About the RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation is a
nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and
effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and
private sectors around the world. Story Credits: Rand
Corporation Read full Report at RAND Study:
Americans Support the War
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