New Research Shows Americans Would Oppose War Crimes in Iran
A new survey by Professors Charli Carpenter of UMass and Alex Montgomery of Reed College finds that over 80% of Americans say that civilians should never be targeted during warfare. This study is a response to a previous one claiming that Americans had little respect for civilian immunity, which was conducted during tensions with Iran. Carpenter and Montgomery find this misleading. By introducing new measures and asking open-ended questions, the authors found that most Americans favored negotiation or withdrawal over civilian targeting. Further, 80% of Americans strongly or somewhat agreed that civilians should never be the object of attack during war and Americans familiar with the Geneva Conventions were less likely to approve a strike on a civilian city. As Montgomery says, “Norms matter when they are invoked.” The study, “The Stopping Power of Norms: Saturation Bombing, Civilian Immunity, and U.S. Attitudes toward the Laws of War” is published in International Security.