By: Christopher Gelpi, Peter D. Feaver, Jason Reifler

Hardcover

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From the Korean War to the current conflict in Iraq, "Paying the Human Costs of War" examines the ways in which the American public decides whether to support the use of military force. Contrary to the conventional view, the authors demonstrate that the public does not respond reflexively and solely to the number of casualties in a conflict. Instead, the book argues that the public makes reasoned and reasonable cost-benefit calculations for their continued support of a war based on the justifications for it and the likelihood it will succeed, along with the costs that have been suffered in casualties. Of these factors, the book finds that the most important consideration for the public is the expectation of success. If the public believes that a mission will succeed, the public will support it even if the costs are high. When the public does not expect the mission to succeed, even small costs will cause the withdrawal of support.

Providing a wealth of new evidence about American attitudes toward military conflict, "Paying the Human Costs of War" offers insights into a controversial, timely, and ongoing national discussion.

Gelpi and Feaver, and Reifler have produced a most fascinating volume on the human costs of waging war. They set out to understand under what conditions Americans would support their leaders' decision to use military force... Well researched and thoughtfully written. Choice Policy makers would be wise to heed the authors' findings regarding how to gain public trust and support when contemplating the future use of military power in achieving national objectives. For the citizenry, however, a warning also emerges: national leaders may attempt to keep a sinking policy ship afloat by remaining publically optimistic even when nothing can be done to save it. -- Walter E. Kretchik Military History [T]he book is straightforward, well organized and a pleasure to read. -- Thomas C. Shaw American Review of Politics One measure of a book's quality is whether it generates questions for future research, and this one certainly fits the bill. -- Jennifer L. Merolla Perspectives on Politics [T]his is a well-thought-out, well-organized and well-written book. In particular, the concluding summaries at the end of each chapter provide excellent reviews and syntheses of the arguments. The authors have posed many questions that should open new horizons for scholars and policy makers. -- Cigdem Pakel Atahan Journal of American Studies of Turkey

List of Illustrations	p. viii
List of Tables	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Theories of American Attitudes toward Warfare	p. 1
America's Tolerance for Casualties, 1950-2006	p. 23
Measuring Individual Attitudes toward Military Conflict	p. 67
Experimental Evidence on Attitudes toward Military Conflict	p. 98
Individual Attitudes toward the Iraq War, 2003-2004	p. 125
Iraq the Vote: War and the Presidential Election of 2004	p. 167
The Sources and Meaning of Success in Iraq	p. 188
Conclusion	p. 236
Bibliography	p. 265
Index	p. 283
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9780691139029
ISBN-10: 0691139024
Audience: Professional
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 280
Published: 17th March 2009
Dimensions (cm): 24.1 x 15.6  x 2.454
Weight (kg): 0.544