When Killers Become Victims
Diversionary War, Human Rights, and Strategic Target Selection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11895618 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Efe Tokdemir (0000-0002-9579-1292, The Ohio State University, corresponding author), Brendan Skip Mark (Binghamton University, SUNY), Skip Mark (0000-0002-4524-9809, Binghamton University) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 337-360 |
| Publication date | 2017-08-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Interactions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-0629 • E-ISSN: 1547-7444 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03050629.2017.1369412 |
| OpenAlex | W2747476642 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 9 |
| References cited | 75 |
The diversionary theory largely focuses on the incentives leaders have to use force. However, little attention has been given to the characteristics that make for a good target. We argue that US presidents choose targets that repress human rights since they are the easiest to sell to international and domestic audiences. By targeting repressive states US presidents can justify their use of force by cloaking their motivation in the language of human rights, responding to calls for intervention, pointing to the failure of international actors and institutions to resolve these problems, and building upon emerging norms that allow for intervention in repressive states. Updating US Use of Force data, we empirically test and find support for our hypothesis that presidents target human rights abusers when they face trouble at home. This paper contributes to target selection process by offering a complete theory of diversionary conflict accounting for cost/benefit calculation of presidents. Moreover, we believe that our findings reveal human rights practices’ role in international conflict, as well
Economics · Face (sociological concept · Human rights · Incentive · International law · Intervention (counseling · Law and economics · Political science · Public relations · Selection (genetic algorithm · Sociology · Test (biology · Use of force · Computer Science · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology
Rational Leadership and the Strategic Pursuit of National and International Goals
Mass Mobilization, Elite Competition, and Diversionary Use of Sanctions
Enforcement of international human rights law
Targeted sanctions, resource substitution, and violence against civilians
Two sides of the same coin
Human Rights and Public Support for War
Beyond the “Sinew of War
From protection to persecution
Economic slowdowns and international conflict
Force without war
Just and Unjust Wars
Information Effects and Human Rights Data
The Functions of Social Conflict
Partisanship, Macroeconomic Policy, and U.S. Uses of Force, 1949-1994
The Effect of Economic Events on Votes for President
Do Americans Care About Human Rights
Haunted by a Paradox
U.S. Economic Aid and Political Repression
Success Breeds Success? War Outcomes, Domestic Opposition, and Elections
Domestic diversion
Domestic diversion and strategic behavior by minority groups
What determines US humanitarian intervention
Threats, opportunity, and force
Gender Differences in Public Attitudes toward the Use of Force by the United States, 1990–2003
Promoting Human Rights and Democracy in the Developing World
Do Human Rights Matter in Bilateral Aid Allocation? A Quantitative Analysis of 21 Donor Countries
Just and Unjust Wars
U.S. Human Rights Policy in the Post-Cold War Era
The American Political Economy
Can Strategic Interaction Divert Diversionary Behavior? A Model of U.S. Conflict Propensity
Just War Theory and the U.S. Counterterror War
The Politics of Threat Perception and the Use of Force
Human Rights Practices and the Distribution of U.S. Foreign Aid to Latin American Countries
After victory
Preying on the Misfortune of Others
The Human Rights Peace
Strategic Conflict Avoidance and the Diversionary Use of Force
The Myth of the Diversionary Use of Force by American Presidents
Understanding Interaction Models
Humanitarianism Transformed
The Politics of Impartial Activism
Peace through Insecurity
Domestic Discontent and the External Use of Force
Democratic Diversions
Domestic Political Vulnerability and International Disputes
Rivalry and Diversionary Uses of Force
War President
Why Does the United States Intervene Abroad? Democracy, Human Rights Violations, and Terrorism
Another Look at “Parties, Voters, and the Use of Force Abroad
Shaming and Blaming
Commerce and Imagination
Identifying Rivals and Rivalries in World Politics
Avoiding the Spotlight
Militarized Interstate Disputes and United States Uses of Force
Democracy and Diversionary Military Intervention
Diverting with Benevolent Military Force
The Politics of Shame
Foreign Targets and Diversionary Conflict
A Strategic Logic of the MilitaryFait Accompli
An "Invitation to Struggle"? The Use of Force Against "Legislatively Vulnerable" American Presidents
Diversionary Foreign Policy in Democratic Systems
Trading Human Rights
Is the good news about compliance good news about cooperation
Presidents, Congress, and the Use of Force
The Benefit of the Doubt
Conflict, Agency, and Gambling for Resurrection
Identifying `Rogue' States and Testing their Interstate Conflict Behavior
State Repression and Political Order
Searching for non-aggressive targets
With friends like these, who needs democracy? The effect of transnational support from rivals on post-conflict democratization
Human Rights and Public Opinion
Domestic Politics and War
The New Practice of UN-Authorized Interventions
Better or Worse? The Effect of Economic Sanctions on Human Rights
Modeling International Crises and the Political Use of Military Force by the USA
Economic Conditions and the Presidential Vote
Democracy, War Initiation, and Victory
Partisan Cycles in Congressional Elections and the Macroeconomy
The President and the Political Use of Force
Respect for Human Rights has Improved Over Time
Human Rights in a Globalizing World
| Unique citing works | 9 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2025 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |