Abstract:
This study examines predictors of expressed support for resistance to U.S.-led forces in Iraq among a sample of 130 university students in Baghdad. Based on a review of the literature and common discourse, personality, clash of civilization and social-psychological variables are tested as likely predictors of support for resistance. Data were collected in March 2004 during a period of relative political stability and optimism. Only social-psychological variables significantly predicted support. In particular, national identity, perceived procedural injustice, and higher life satisfaction prior to the U.S.-led invasion were significant predictors. Findings are discussed in relation to media and academic accounts explaining political violence in the current conflict.