Misalignment and Mobilization: How Perceived Discrepancy With Government and Society Fuels Collective Action Through Anger

International conflicts increasingly mobilize citizens beyond the borders of warring nations, yet the psychological mechanisms driving these third-party responses remain underexplored. Across three preregistered studies (N = 1,255), we examined how perceived misalignment with government and society regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict predicts collective action through target-specific anger. Study 1 (Germany, cross-sectional) showed that both types of misalignment predicted normative and non-normative action via anger at the respective target, with stronger effects for government. Study 2 (United States, two-wave design) found that government misalignment at Time 1 predicted collective action at Time 2 through anger, while misalignment with society did not. Study 3 (Kosovo, experimental) demonstrated that the government condition increased anger and action, with anger mediating these effects; the society condition had weaker and non-significant mediation. Across all studies, anger at government emerged as a more consistent and potent mediator than anger at society. These findings identify perceived misalignment as a distinct political grievance, clarify the role of target-specific anger in third-party mobilization, and show how international conflicts shape political engagement among geographically distant citizens.