Description
Book SynopsisAlex Weisiger tests three explanations for a nation's decision to go to war and continue fighting regardless of the costs. He combines sharp statistical analysis of interstate wars over the past two centuries with nine narrative case studies.
Trade Review"Logics of War unpacks the so-called black box of war to look at the often overlooked mechanisms that connect the beginnings to the ends of war. Blending qualitative and quantitative analysis in a very ambitious and successful multimethod strategy, Alex Weisiger not only examines the duration of war but also endeavors to offer new explanations for the severity of war. Weisiger presents a new and highly original explanation for the handful of exceptionally long and deadly wars in which one side sincerely demands unconditional surrender." -- Hein Goemans, University of Rochester, author of
War and Punishment: The Causes of War Termination and the First World War"When are wars short and limited and when they are long and destructive? Alex Weisiger supports his theoretically innovative answer to this important but neglected question with systematic statistical analysis and rich historical analysis. Logics of War is an important extension of the bargaining model of war, a wonderful exemplar of multimethod research, and essential reading for all serious students of interstate war." -- Jack S. Levy, Board of Governors' ProfessorRutgersThe State University of New Jerseyco, author of
The Arc of War: Origins, Escalation, and TransformationTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Explanations for Limited and Unlimited Wars2. Research Strategy and Statistical Tests3. War to the Death in Paraguay4. World War II: German Expansion and Allied Response5. Additional Commitment Problem Cases: The Crimean, Pacific, and Iran-Iraq Wars6. Short Wars of Optimism: Persian Gulf and Anglo-Iranian7. The Limits on Leaders: The Falklands War and the Franco-Turkish WarConclusion: Recapitulations, Implications, and PrognosticationsNotes
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