As the war in Ukraine is still unfolding, scholars, the media and the public debate the opportunity to intervene, what Russia could do next, and how to reduce the negative impacts of the war. Amongst these issues, particular interest is devoted to how different politicians and citizens approach the crisis and also to international norm violations during war, such as the use of mercenaries or chemical weapons.
So, what are the factors that explain politicians and the public support for military operations abroad? Under what conditions are citizens and leaders more willing to approve the use of force? The broad goal of the SUPPMIL project was to tackle these crucial research questions.
Overall, the main goal of the SUPPMIL project was to produce a series of academic articles and a book about these topics, together with the aim of diffusing knowledge about the relevance and role of various factors that explain support for war, with an emphasis on norm violations during conflicts. The project was interrupted ahead of schedule to allow the researcher to take a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen.
Despite this, the project accomplished important results. As envisaged in the project timetable, in the first months the data management plan, the informed consent form, and all the necessary documents were drafter. Moreover, in coordination with Professor Vincenzo Bove (University of Warwick) and Professor Deborah Avant (University of Denver), a plan for the development of the project was agreed on.
In the following months (4-10, WP2), the researcher built the theoretical framework, collected data through two survey experiments in the United States and through various archives (e.g. the parliamentary debates of the US Congress), conducted a few interviews with humanitarian action practitioners and politicians, and started writing the first two articles envisaged by the project. In the last months (10-13, WP3), the researcher completed the first two papers and a detailed book project, and planned two additional surveys that will be conducted in Summer 2023 in various Western European countries and in Turkey.
Throughout the entire period, the SUPPMIL project achieved important milestones beyond academic research. First, the project was presented in prestigious academic conferences, such as the International Studies Association Conference (Nashville, Spring 2022), the 4 Corners Conflict Conference (Colorado Springs, Spring 2022), the Italian Political Science Association Conference (Rome, Summer 2022), and the Peace Science Society Conference (Denver, Fall 2022). Moreover, articles related to SUPPMIL were presented in dedicated workshops and seminars, such as the Korbel School Research Seminar (Denver, Winter 2022) and the University of Milan Research Seminar (Milan, Winter 2022). In addition, SUPPMIL was discussed with the public, politicians and activists in events such as the NAFSA Conference (Denver, Spring 2022) where also the MSCA various opportunities, benefits and future developments were sponsored. Moreover, at University of Denver, the researcher could undertook training for teaching, quantitative methods, research communication and outreach, and personal branding, amongst others.
Overall, the academic, networking, and training activities that were conducted in the first year of the project, along with the prestige of having won a MSCA Global Fellowship, tremendously boosted the career of the researcher and allowed him to secure a tenure-track position at University of Groningen.
