Description
Book SynopsisWhat makes wars drag on and why do they end when they do? Here H. E. Goemans brings theoretical rigor and empirical depth to a long-standing question of securities studies. He explores how various government leaders assess the cost of war in terms of domestic politics and their own postwar fates. Goemans first develops the argument that two sides will wage war until both gain sufficient knowledge of the other''s strengths and weaknesses so as to agree on the probable outcome of continued war. Yet the incentives that motivate leaders to then terminate war, Goemans maintains, can vary greatly depending on the type of government they represent. The author looks at democracies, dictatorships, and mixed regimes and compares the willingness among leaders to back out of wars or risk the costs of continued warfare.
Democracies, according to Goemans, will prefer to withdraw quickly from a war they are not winning in order to appease the populace. Autocracies will do likewise so a
Trade Review
"Goemans makes a significant addition to our understanding of war termination. In addition, the book is so well written that it is a valuable source for readers at all levels."--Choice "One can disagree with particular interpretations of Goemans, or even question his overall thesis, but it is a thesis that must be taken seriously. Goemans is to be congratulated for producing a book of value to scholars and to policy-makers, given the obvious implications of his findings for strategy."--Richard Ned Lebow, International History Review "The greatest strength of this book is that it is eminently thought-provoking, and that is praise not lightly given."--Ralph Ashby, The Historian
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures vii Acknowlegments ix Chapter One: Introduction 3 Chapter Two: A Theory of War Termination 19 Chapter Three: Large N: The Fate of Leaders and the Diration of War 53 Chapter Four: Germany 72 Chapter Five: Russia 122 Chapter Six: France 134 Chapter Seven: Great Britain 181 Chapter Eight: The Termination of the First World War, I: 1914-1917 232 Chapter Nine: The Termination of the First World War, II: 1918 270 Chapter Ten: Conclusion 310 Bibliography 325 Index 351
