Crony Attack

Crony attack is the strategy of targeting of key elite supporters of an enemy leader in order to effect policy change in the attackers favor. It is also one of a set of tools used in coercive diplomacy. Others include: economic sanctions, and information operations. To properly and efficiently leverage the potentially powerful mechanism of crony attack demands coordination among those responsible for wielding the military, diplomatic, economic and informational instruments of national power. This thesis describes crony attack, comments on requirements for successful development of crony attack methodology, and investigates a prominent case where the U.S. apparently used this strategy. This thesis treats crony attack primarily as a form of strategic attack, carried out during the air campaign portion of military operations. This thesis outlines a theoretical foundation for such a targeting strategy. While acknowledging that current policy and practice regarding ongoing and recent crony attacks are properly mired in secrecy, the case of crony attack against the Milosevic regime during Operation Allied Force in 1999 is investigated. The damage to capital-producing facilities controlled by key political supporters of Slobodan Milosevic and his wife eventually incited those supporters to push for policy change and an end to the war.