What do you think should be the key issues deserving attention, and how would you design the research, including specification of variables

This week’s reading selection presents a classic, if very basic, illustration of the use of empirical social science in gauging the effects of waging war on an enemy. In situations like Afghanistan, important questions persist today about the impact of measures like bombing on the population. Give some thoughts about how you would study this question, if you were attached to the U.S. military as a research consultant. What do you think should be the key issues deserving attention, and how would you design the research, including specification of variables, in a way that goes beyond the early work of Almond and Kraus? Where would your data come from, and how would you gather it?