{"product_id":"dictators-at-war-and-peace-9780801452963","title":"Dictators at War and Peace","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy 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, \u003ci\u003eDictators at War and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJessica 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 find\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDictators \u003c\/i\u003eis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e -- Alexander B. Downes * Political Science Quarterly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDictators at War and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eDictators at War and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e will undoubtedly become the standard for such analysis.\u003c\/p\u003e -- Michael McKoy * H-Diplo *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e[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.\u003c\/p\u003e * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e1. Authoritarian Regimes and the Domestic Politics of War and Peace\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAudiences, Preferences, and Decisions about War\u003cbr\u003e Hypotheses, Implications, and Cases\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e2. Initiating International Conflict\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMeasuring Authoritarian Regime Type\u003cbr\u003e Modeling the Initiation of International Conflict\u003cbr\u003e Results\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e3. Winners, Losers, and Survival\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSelecting Wars\u003cbr\u003e War Outcomes in the Past Century\u003cbr\u003e Outcomes of Militarized Interstate Disputes, 1946–2000\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Consequences of Defeat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e4. Personalist Dictators: Shooting from the Hip\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSaddam Hussein and the 1990 Invasion of Kuwait\u003cbr\u003e Josef Stalin: A Powerful but Loose Cannon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e5. Juntas: Using the Only Language They Understand\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eArgentina and the Falklands\/Malvinas War\u003cbr\u003e Japan's Road to World War II\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e6. Machines: Looking Before They Leap\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe North Vietnamese Wars against the US, South Vietnam, and Cambodia\u003cbr\u003e The Soviet Union in the Post-Stalin Era\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion: Dictatorship, War, and Peace\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eAppendix\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e Works Cited\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52151117545815,"sku":"9780801452963","price":81.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780801452963.jpg?v=1762960234","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/dictators-at-war-and-peace-9780801452963","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}