Dictators at War and Peace

Jessica L. P. Weeks

Published by Cornell University Press 2014

Dictators at War and Peace

Jessica L. P. Weeks

In the series Cornell Studies in Security Affairs

https://doi.org/10.7591/9780801455247

Overview
Contents

About this book

The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators.

Author / Editor information

Jessica L. P. Weeks is Assistant Professor and Trice Faculty Scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Reviews

Virginia Page Fortna, Columbia University, author of Does Peacekeeping Work? Shaping Belligerents' Choices after Civil War:

In this cogent analysis of the important variation among autocratic regimes when it comes to decisions about war and peace, Jessica L. P. Weeks shows that the usual dichotomy between democracies and autocracies is too simplistic. By focusing on not only domestic accountability but also the predilections of leaders and, crucially, the preferences of the domestic audiences they are accountable to, Weeks shows that some autocrats face incentives much like democracies, and therefore behave much like their democratic counterparts when it comes to questions of war and peace. Others are constrained by strong domestic audiences that have relatively hawkish views. Still other leaders face few constraints, and it is their own preferences and predilections that matter. Weeks' theory helps explain not only conflict initiation but also war outcomes and the fates of wartime leaders. This book combines parsimonious yet powerful theorizing with rigorous and thoughtful multimethod analysis, to answer crucial policy questions about war and peace. It is a model of what good IR scholarship should be.

[Weeks] makes readers insightfully aware of the key differences among 'dictatorships' that may account for alternative foreign policies. With a good review of extant literature and innovative data-based and case studies on regime types and conflict behavior, she examines theories that distinguish between authoritarian leaders who nevertheless answer to significant elite constituencies and those who behave like unrestrained 'bosses' or 'strongmen'.... This study, and its main findings... are a significant contribution to the scientific study of war and peace.

Michael McKoy:

Dictators at War and Peace by Jessica L. P. Weeks is one of the most significant contributions to this literature. Weeks argues that not all authoritarian regimes are created equal, and this difference affects their likelihood of initiating and winning military conflicts.... Weeks's typology and analysis have laid the foundation for understanding the diversity of authoritarian international politics, and Dictators at War and Peace will undoubtedly become the standard for such analysis.

Alexander B. Downes:

Dictators is an excellent book that constitutes a significant leap forward in the study of authoritarian regimes and international security. Importantly, the book reveals that not all dictators are alike.... The book deserves to be read broadly in the academy and among policymakers. Its relevance for U.S. foreign policy is clear as the United States wrangles with several different types of authoritarian governments in China, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, and elsewhere.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Tables And Figures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Authoritarian Regimes And The Domestic Politics Of War And Peace Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
2. Initiating International Conflict Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
3. Winners, Losers, And Survival Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	54
4. Personalist Dictators: Shooting From The Hip Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
5. Juntas: Using The Only Language They Understand Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	106
6. Machines: Looking Before They Leap Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Conclusion Dictatorship, War, and Peace Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
Appendix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 264
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 11
- Tables: 11
- Other: 11 tables, 5 charts
Keywords: international relations; foreign policy behavior; autocratic leaders; authoritarian regime; behavior of dictators; regimes and war; nondemocratic regime; saddam hussein; joseph stalin; argentine junta; falklands war; japanese military government; north vietnamese communism

eBook

Published: September 8, 2014
ISBN: 9780801455247