From the Korean War to the conflict in Iraq, this book examines the ways in which the American public decides whether to support the use of military force. Contrary to the conventional view, it demonstrates that the public does not respond reflexively and solely to the number of casualties in a conflict.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii CHAPTER ONE: Theories of American Attitudes toward Warfare 1 CHAPTER TWO: America's Tolerance for Casualties, 1950-2006 23 CHAPTER THREE: Measuring Individual Attitudes toward Military Conflict 67 CHAPTER FOUR: Experimental Evidence on Attitudes toward Military Conflict 98 CHAPTER FIVE: Individual Attitudes toward the Iraq War, 2003-2004 125 CHAPTER SIX: Iraq the Vote: War and the Presidential Election of 2004 167 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Sources and Meaning of Success in Iraq 188 CHAPTER EIGHT: Conclusion 236 BIBLIOGRAPHY 265 INDEX 283

"Paying the Human Costs of War, an ambitious and provocative new book by three distinguished military commentators, takes on the conventional wisdom that Americans are skittish about casualty numbers, and argues instead that the American people have a much more sophisticated calculus about decisions associated with fighting and dying. A deeply important read for policymakers, military commanders, and the interested public alike."—Kurt M. Campbell, Center for a New American Security

"Gelpi, Feaver, and Reifler have written the most rigorous and thorough—yet also readable and accessible—study of Americans' stomach for war yet published. It is well grounded in Feaver's recent real-world political experience, though there is nothing partisan or self-serving about the book. The practical touch his experience provides is the perfect complement to the academic sophistication underlying the core of the authors' analysis. The new survey data, careful review of the existing literature, commonsense analysis of recent U.S. warfighting operations, and logical clarity of the authors' thinking make the book's main arguments very persuasive."—Michael O'Hanlon, Brookings Institution

"This is a superb, profound, and most timely study of wartime opinion. It offers a compelling antidote to the conventional wisdom that popular support for military missions inevitably collapses with rising casualties. The wide historical sweep along with rigorous statistical tests places this work in a class by itself."—Helmut Norpoth, Stony Brook University

"This book shows that although the U.S. public is sensitive to U.S. casualties suffered in war, the public is more sensitive to perceived defeat and will continue to support operations abroad as long as they are persuaded victory is still likely. The book's arguments are well presented and bolstered with an impressive array of first-rate empirical evidence."—Richard Herrmann, Ohio State University

Paying the Human Costs of War, an ambitious and provocative new book by three distinguished military commentators, takes on the conventional wisdom that Americans are skittish about casualty numbers, and argues instead that the American people have a much more sophisticated calculus about decisions associated with fighting and dying. A deeply important read for policymakers, military commanders, and the interested public alike. -- Kurt M. Campbell, Center for a New American Security Gelpi, Feaver, and Reifler have written the most rigorous and thorough--yet also readable and accessible--study of Americans' stomach for war yet published. It is well grounded in Feaver's recent real-world political experience, though there is nothing partisan or self-serving about the book. The practical touch his experience provides is the perfect complement to the academic sophistication underlying the core of the authors' analysis. The new survey data, careful review of the existing literature, commonsense analysis of recent U.S. warfighting operations, and logical clarity of the authors' thinking make the book's main arguments very persuasive. -- Michael O'Hanlon, Brookings Institution This is a superb, profound, and most timely study of wartime opinion. It offers a compelling antidote to the conventional wisdom that popular support for military missions inevitably collapses with rising casualties. The wide historical sweep along with rigorous statistical tests places this work in a class by itself. -- Helmut Norpoth, Stony Brook University This book shows that although the U.S. public is sensitive to U.S. casualties suffered in war, the public is more sensitive to perceived defeat and will continue to support operations abroad as long as they are persuaded victory is still likely. The book's arguments are well presented and bolstered with an impressive array of first-rate empirical evidence. -- Richard Herrmann, Ohio State University