How elected leaders prolong unpopular wars: Examining American policy during the Vietnam War and French policy during the Algerian War

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dc.contributor.authorMcHugh, Kelly A.
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-20T00:52:56Z
dc.date.available2022-10-20T00:52:56Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractI seek to explain why democracies often maintain involvement in peripheral wars years after public support has dissipated. Using insights from literature on prospect theory and framing theory, I argue that when a war becomes unpopular (largely because the public perceives it to be too costly to achieve the original goal of the war) elites who favor prolonging the conflict seek to “reframe” the debate; here elites attempt to convince the public that a rapid withdraw is in fact a more costly choice. Specifically, leaders will emphasize the reputational and security costs of a loss, and convince the public that a risky gamble—namely an escalation or expansion of the conflict—is the only war to avoid such a loss. I examine these propositions in two case studies: the Vietnam War during the period of 1968–1975, and the Algerian War during the period of 1956–1962.en_US
dc.identifier.citationKelly A. McHugh. (2016). How elected leaders prolong unpopular wars: Examining American policy during the Vietnam War and French policy during the Algerian War. Cogent Social Sciences, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2016.1250337en_US
dc.identifier.issn2331-1886
dc.identifier.uriDOI: 10.1080/23311886.2016.1250337
dc.identifier.urihttps://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.59d48f26bf0493ba00a7f148b229f5e&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s5615486
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11416/866
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen_US
dc.subjectVietnam War, 1961-1975en_US
dc.subjectAlgeria—History—Revolution, 1954-1962en_US
dc.subjectSocial sciencesen_US
dc.titleHow elected leaders prolong unpopular wars: Examining American policy during the Vietnam War and French policy during the Algerian Waren_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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