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Is There an “Emboldenment” Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq
Harvard University (Professor Iyengar's Website) ^ | February 2008 | Radha Iyengar and Jonathan Monten

Posted on 03/12/2008 1:04:36 PM PDT by .cnI redruM

....Overall, the results presented in this paper suggest several important facts. First, the findings suggest that there is an explicit and quantifiable cost to public debate during wartime in the form of increased attacks. Based on these results, it appears that Iraqi insurgent groups believe that when the U.S. political landscape is more uncertain, initiating a higher level of attacks increases the likelihood that the U.S. will reduce the scope of its engagement in the conflict. However, the magnitude of the response by Iraqi insurgent groups is relatively small. To the extent that U.S. political speech does affect insurgent incentives, it changes things only by about 10-20 percent. The estimated effects, while consistent in direction across different specifications, also vary considerably in magnitude. Given the relatively large standard errors and the potential lack of robustness to specification, these coefficients should be interpreted with caution—more dispositive of the cost-sensitivity of insurgents than a precise estimate of their elasticity to increased costs.....

(Excerpt) Read more at people.rwj.harvard.edu ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antiwarmovement; enablers; insurgency; iraq
A long paper. I excerpted it to avoid cut and pasting 49 pages.

That conclusion paragraph hits the point. The more people in the US oppose the war, the more insurgents in Iraq attempt to blow up our soldiers. It's a direct correlation.

1 posted on 03/12/2008 1:04:37 PM PDT by .cnI redruM
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To: .cnI redruM

And we needed some Harvard PHD to tell us this?


2 posted on 03/12/2008 1:16:41 PM PDT by NurdlyPeon (New tag line in progress.)
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To: .cnI redruM

Of course. When we first invaded Iraq, Syria and Iran were making all kinds of nice sounds, until they realized we really were stupid enough to let them get away with murder. Bush was hamstrung by the left and our enemies know it.


3 posted on 03/12/2008 1:19:21 PM PDT by Williams
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To: .cnI redruM
The good news is that everyone that disagrees with the government in the least way during war time can be rounded up and tried as a traitor.

The bad news is that we would have to follow the findings of a Harvard study.

4 posted on 03/12/2008 1:28:56 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: aflaak

ping


5 posted on 03/12/2008 1:31:16 PM PDT by r-q-tek86 (If you're not taking flak, you're not over the target.)
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To: .cnI redruM
The more people in the US oppose the war, the more insurgents in Iraq attempt to blow up our soldiers. It's a direct correlation.

Promises to be an interesting read...

6 posted on 03/12/2008 1:35:39 PM PDT by T. Buzzard Trueblood ("a wee bit silly." -Lord Trimble on Hillary Clinton's claim of foreign policy "experience".)
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To: .cnI redruM
"it changes things only by about 10-20 percent"

Only? ONLY?!?!?!! ONLY?!?!?!?!??!?!!!!!! Over the course of the entire war, that "only" means another several hundred dead brave members of our military and another several thousand wounded.

7 posted on 03/12/2008 2:15:09 PM PDT by piytar
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To: .cnI redruM

That’s why we got rid of the draft.


8 posted on 03/12/2008 2:46:32 PM PDT by kenavi ("My mudder thanks you, my fodder thanks you, and Obama thanks you!")
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To: .cnI redruM

9 posted on 03/12/2008 4:47:04 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: .cnI redruM

great find!

Notice it is not yet published.

I predict it will not be allowed in academic circulation.

The best news is that this insidious cycle does I believe Work in reverse

That’s why aqi is getting whacked so bad now

No media. No criticism at home no recruits for aqi. Its becoming its own vicious circle.


10 posted on 03/12/2008 7:39:19 PM PDT by lonestar67 (Its time to withdraw from the War on Bush-- your side is hopelessly lost in a quagmire.)
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