Description
Book SynopsisIdeological differences among political parties result in consistently different understandings of the national interest, Brian C. Rathbun shows. These differences between parties are critical as major international events unfold. In the first...
Trade Review"Partisan Interventions makes a compelling argument for explaining European states' foreign policies toward the Balkans in the 1990s. The book is especially noteworthy for its four fascinating case studies based on a rich trove of interviews with high-level participants. Even readers who have followed these policy processes carefully will learn important new information." -- Wade Jacoby, Brigham Young University
"The best kind of scholarly book, Partisan Interventions combines clear analysis with a wealth of information to demonstrate the importance of domestic politics in the making of democratic foreign policy—without pretending that it is the only prism through which to see the issue. Brian C. Rathbun offers great insights into the history of European engagement in the Balkans in the 1990s and explains how and why political parties take the positions they do. Wonderfully, he shows that while self-interest matters, so do ideas. This is an excellent book for theoreticians, historians, and practitioners." -- Anthony Lake, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and former Clinton National Security Adviser, 1993–97
"This is an excellent book about the domestic sources of foreign and defense policy in three major European states. It brings out the interplay among party ideology, partisan competition, political leadership, and policy change as French, British, and German governments responded to the collapse of Yugoslavia and to the difficult conditions of the post-Cold War European order." -- William Wallace, London School of Economics
"We repeatedly hear that domestic politics matters in international relations, but few scholars systematically explore that possibility. By taking partisan politics seriously, Brian C. Rathbun adds an important and long-absent dimension to our explanations of comparative foreign policy. Partisan Interventions will serve as a model of how to address theoretically important questions with a sophisticated research design." -- Elizabeth Kier, University of Washington
