The Tripwire Effect: Experimental Evidence Regarding U.S. Public Opinion
Journal: Foreign Policy Analysis
Year: 2023

Abstract Claims about the deterrent role of forward military deployments often depend on the argument that attacks on troops stationed abroad will activate a “tripwire effect.” It is assumed that this effect would generate strong domestic pressure for further military intervention by the country whose troops have come under attack. In theory, the anticipation of a strong tripwire effect prospectively ties the hands of leaders, thereby bolstering the reliability of extended deterrent threats and