Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-26-2021
Department 1
Political Science
Abstract
During times of domestic turmoil, the use of force abroad becomes an appealing strategy to US presidents in hopes of diverting attention away from internal conditions and toward a foreign policy success. Weaponized drone technology presents a low cost and potentially high-reward option to embattled presidents. While generally covert operations, drone strikes are frequently reported in the media, making them a viable diversionary tool. To gauge whether drone strikes are in fact capable of diverting the public’s attention, we surveyed 1198 Americans and find that a successful drone strike increases presidential approval despite a weak and sagging economy, and the impact of diversionary drone use is significantly greater than that which accompanies traditional diversionary methods.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
DOI
10.1177/20531680211019904
Version
Version of Record
Recommended Citation
Boddery, Scott S., and Graig R. Klein. “Presidential Use of Diversionary Drone Force and Public Support.” Research & Politics, (April 2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/20531680211019904.