Partisan Boost from Limited Strikes

Targeted foreign military actions can increase approval within the initiating leader’s partisan base even while remaining unpopular with the general public. The effect is asymmetric and short‑term: the poll shows U.S. military action in Venezuela remained broadly unpopular, but Republican support for the action rose—indicating operations can shore up coalition support without broad democratic consent. — This matters because it explains why executives may be tempted to use limited force as a domestic political tool, raising tradeoffs between short‑term partisan gains and long‑term legitimacy and congressional oversight of foreign interventions.