Despots, democrats, and the determinants of international conflict / Martin Sherman ; foreword by Shabtai Shavit.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sherman, Martin, 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International relations--Decision making.

International relations.

Democracy.

Dictatorship.

Security, International.

Physical Description:

x, 230 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Houdmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Macmillan ; New York : St. Martin's Press, 1998.

Summary:

This book provides an unequivocal endorsement of an assertive and resolute approach to foreign policy by democracies in their dealings with dictatorships. Drawing on the political writings of Kant, the rationale of Churchill's anti-appeasement policy, and the most up-to-date empirical research in international relations, the author forges a rigorous decision-theoretic model to account for the international interactions between despotic and democratic regimes. The model's validity is illustrated across a broad range of historical examples, while its policy-oriented implications, are shown to have far-reaching consequences for conventional perceptions of democratic deterrence posture and the security dilemma.

Contents:

The Nature and Function of Scientific Theory 9

Theory in the Social Sciences 16

Theoretical Endeavour in the Field of Linkage Politics 19

Setting Out the Conceptual Foundations 25

Specifying the Ideal-Types and Assembling the Model 30

Domestic Structure and Foreign Policy 51

A Review of the Theoretical Findings 75

The Coupling of the Theoretical Findings with Empirical Observations

The Methodological Rationale 79

The Justification Programme 87

The Falsification Programme 137

The Conceptual Frame of Reference 151

The Rational Model

Criticism and Vindication 151

Political Structure and the Variance of Rational Choice Behaviour 157

Domestic Political Structure and Risk Preference: The Implications for Rational Choice and Foreign Policy Formulation 158

Domestic Political Structure and Decision Criteria: The Implications for Rational Choice and Foreign Policy Formulation 168

Some Operational Implications 180.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 216-224) and index.

ISBN:

0312177259

0333699599

OCLC:

36994571