Description
Book SynopsisAllied nations often stop each other from going to war. Some countries even form alliances with the specific intent of restraining another power and thereby preventing war. Furthermore, restraint often becomes an issue in existing alliances as one ally wants to start a war, launch a military intervention, or pursue some other risky military policy while the other ally balks. In Warring Friends, Jeremy Pressman draws on and critiques realist, normative, and institutionalist understandings of how alliance decisions are made.
Alliance restraint often has a role to play both in the genesis of alliances and in their continuation. As this book demonstrates, an external power can apply the brakes to an incipient conflict, and even unheeded advice can aid in clarifying national goals. The power differentials between allies in these partnerships are influenced by leadership unity, deception, policy substitutes, and national security priorities.
Recent controversy over the complic
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"This valuable study explores the logic of intra-alliance power relationships, looking in particular at moments when states try to use alliance ties to restrain risky military actions by their partners. In a wide-ranging survey of alliances in Europe and Asia over the last century, Pressman finds that the 'restraint motive' for alliance creation is as important as the 'mutual protection' motive."—G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs
"In this fascinating book, which is rich in historical detail, Jeremy Pressman shows how states use alliances to check their partners as well as their adversaries. He also explains when allies are likely to be restrained and when they are not. This is an important addition to the literature on alliances."—John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
