Friends, enemies, and emulation: A case study of the Iraqi Air Force and a new approach to military technological diffusion

Military emulation, by which military organizations of one state learn from those of another, is a key process of military-technological diffusion and an important tool of alliance management and American foreign policy. Existing research partially explains this process and its success or failure using two-part models that include the emulating organization and the emulated organization. Using the relationship between the United States Air Force and the Iraqi Air Force between 2004 and 2023 as a case study, this article suggests that a critical third element explaining emulation is how the relevant enemy is perceived within the emulating and emulated organizations.