Military Experience and Casualty Sensitivity in Elite Discourse

Evidence From the U.S. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Bibliographic Data

ID10071850
AuthorsMichael R Kenwick (0000-0003-1055-7251, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Sumin Lee (0000-0002-7116-8199, Texas A&M University), Burcu Kolcak (0009-0006-9200-4931, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey)
Year2025
Volume70
Issue4
Pages690-719
Publication date2025-08-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00220027251365535
OpenAlexW4413760642
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited54

Veterans are disproportionately represented among political elites, and the question of whether military experience shapes their behavior is a central puzzle in the study of international relations. Existing theories link military experience with hawkish or dovish foreign policy preferences. Rather than determining their positions on the use of force ex ante, we argue that domain-specific knowledge and their elevated social status will make veterans less likely to change their expressed positions, especially in response to wartime casualties. We test our argument by analyzing Congressional speeches referencing the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, finding strong support for our expectations. Our core insight is that veteran politicians are partisans first and veterans second, and that military experience may say more about how they update, rather than establish, their political positions

Criminology · Elite · Iraq war · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Terrorism · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

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