Diversionary Theory of War and the Case Study Design: President Clinton’s Strikes on Iraq and Yugoslavia
Abstract
This article examines President Clinton’s decisions to launch military actions against Iraq in June 1993 and Kosovo in 1999. This study represents an attempt to test the descriptive accuracy and further developing the diversionary theory of war. Using a qualitative framework for diversionary use of force developed by another researcher, Ryan C. Hendrickson, this research examines and compares the two cases in order to determine whether or not these strikes appear to be diversionary in nature. This article generally suggests that empirical support for the diversionary argument in these cases is “mixed” but has more validity in the actions against Iraq. Two proposals to further develop qualitative tests for diversionary use of force are advanced.
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Biographies
Mikael Blomdahl is currently a research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and Assistant Professor in Political Science at Stockholm University. He was awarded a PhD in 2009 for a thesis on the domestic political impact on U.S. foreign policy. His primary research interests are foreign policy analysis, security politics, humanitarian interventions, and U.S. foreign policy.
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Article first published online: June 8, 2016
Issue published: July 2017
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