Just Deserts in Iraq:
American Vengeance for 9/11
Abstract
Desires for revenge against the 9/11 perpetrators heightened U.S. public support for war against
Iraq in January 2002, controlling for left-right ideology, the rally-round-the-flag effect, and the perceived
terrorist threat. Four explanations could account for these findings: prior enemy images of Saddam
heightening suspicions of Iraqi complicity in the attacks, as well as anger s tendency to heighten
indiscriminate blame, prejudice, and self-confidence. We test for the prejudice effect and find evidence
that vengeance heightened support for attacking Iraq in part by increasing anti-Arab prejudice.
Vengefulness also partly mediated the effects of retributiveness (proxied by right-wing authoritarianism)
on support for war, and largely mediated the effects of patriotism (as intergroup emotion theory would
predict). Additional data shows that even as war approached, most supporters acknowledged it would
satisfy a desire to avenge 9/11.
Keywords: 2003 Iraq War; September 11, 2001; public opinion; appraisal tendency; emotion; intergroup
emotion; blame; retribution; revenge; prejudice; carryover; displaced aggression; right-wing
authoritarianism; patriotism.
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