Description
Book SynopsisA systematic study of the significant influence that domestic political competition can have on the international conflict behavior of states.
Trade Review"This is a very significant contribution to one of the most important current debates among both scholars and policy makers: the impact of democracy on war. Some authors have speculated about the impact of elections on 'democratic peace,' but no one has come close to the breadth and depth of the analysis in this book." -- Ole Holsti * Duke University *
"In this important, well-written study, Gaubatz . . . uses case studies and aggregate data to illuminate the complex ways in which domestic institutions and public opinion influence foreign policy decisions. . . . This is a significant book. Although extensive scholarship exists on the democratic peace hypothesis (i.e., the claim that democracies don't go to war against other democracies), the literature on elections and war is limited." --
Choice"The book is a valuable and innovative contribution to the study of the relationship between the democratic process and decisions about peace and war." --
Journal of Peace Research"Alexis de Tocqueville decried the inability of democracies to conduct efficient foreign policy, while contemporary academics and politicians praise democracies for their pacific behavior. In
Elections and War, Gaubatz shows why both are right. This important book confirms that electoral pressures constrain democratic leaders' ability to make war, but they also provide incentives to ignore belligerent publics." --
Political Science QuarterlyTable of ContentsList of figures; 1. Democratic politics and international relations; 2. Attitudes towards war in the democratic states; 3. Electoral institutions and the democratic politics of war and peace; 4. Electoral incentives and foreign-policy choices; 5. Elections and war: the international connection; 6. International outcomes; 7. Conclusions; Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
