Why do some autocratic leaders pursue aggressive or expansionist foreign policies, while others are much more cautious in their use of military force? 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.
Jessica L. P. Weeks explains why certain kinds of regimes are less likely to resort to war than others, why some are more likely to win the wars they start, and why some authoritarian leaders face domestic punishment for foreign policy failures whereas others can weather all but the most serious military defeat. Using novel cross-national data, Weeks looks at various nondemocratic regimes, including those of Saddam Hussein and Joseph Stalin; the Argentine junta at the time of the Falklands War, the military government in Japan before and during World War II, and the North Vietnamese communist regime. She finds that the differences in the conflict behavior of distinct kinds of autocracies are as great as those between democracies and dictatorships. Indeed, some types of autocracies are no more belligerent or reckless than democracies, casting doubt on the common view that democracies are more selective about war than autocracies.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
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.
- Alexander B. Downes (Political Science Quarterly) 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.
- Michael McKoy (H-Diplo) [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.
(Choice)
Reihe
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Für Beruf und Forschung
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
11 tables, 5 charts - 11 Tables, black and white
Maße
Höhe: 235 mm
Breite: 155 mm
Dicke: 16 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-8014-7982-3 (9780801479823)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Jessica L. P. Weeks is Assistant Professor and Trice Faculty Scholar in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Introduction1. Authoritarian Regimes and the Domestic Politics of War and Peace
Audiences, Preferences, and Decisions about War
Hypotheses, Implications, and Cases2. Initiating International Conflict
Measuring Authoritarian Regime Type
Modeling the Initiation of International Conflict
Results3. Winners, Losers, and Survival
Selecting Wars
War Outcomes in the Past Century
Outcomes of Militarized Interstate Disputes, 1946-2000
The Consequences of Defeat4. Personalist Dictators: Shooting from the Hip
Saddam Hussein and the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait
Josef Stalin: A Powerful but Loose Cannon5. Juntas: Using the Only Language They Understand
Argentina and the Falklands/Malvinas War
Japan's Road to World War II6. Machines: Looking Before They Leap
The North Vietnamese Wars against the US, South Vietnam, and Cambodia
The Soviet Union in the Post-Stalin EraConclusion: Dictatorship, War, and PeaceAppendix
Notes
Works Cited
Index
