| ID | 186099 |
| Title Proper | Is there an ‘emboldenment’ effect |
| Other Title Information | evidence from the insurgency in Iraq |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Monten, Jonathan ; Plumb, Radha Iyengar |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Does wartime debate in democracies during counterinsurgency campaigns embolden insurgent adversaries? Despite the historical frequency of this claim, there is little direct evidence assessing this ‘emboldenment’ hypothesis. This paper develops a novel test of this argument during the US counterinsurgency campaign following the invasion of Iraq in 2003. We find that following spikes in US domestic debate over the Iraq war, there is no evidence that insurgent attacks on military or civilian targets increased in regions of Iraq with greater access to US news compared to regions with less access. Overall, these results offer no support for the emboldenment claim. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 45, No.4; Aug 2022: p.615-636 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol: 45 No 4 |
| Key Words | Democracy ; Insurgency ; Resolve |