Dictators at war and peace / Jessica L. P. Weeks.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weeks, Jessica L. P., author.

Series:

Cornell studies in security affairs.

Cornell Studies in Security Affairs

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dictators.

Authoritarianism.

Military policy--Decision making.

Military policy.

Politics and war.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (264 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, New York : Cornell University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Why do some autocratic leaders pursue aggressive or expansionist foreign policies, while others are much more cautious in their use of military force? The first book to focus systematically on the foreign policy of different types of authoritarian regimes, Dictators at War and Peace breaks new ground in our understanding of the international behavior of dictators. Jessica L. P. Weeks explains why certain kinds of regimes are less likely to resort to war than others, why some are more likely to win the wars they start, and why some authoritarian leaders face domestic punishment for foreign policy failures whereas others can weather all but the most serious military defeat. Using novel cross-national data, Weeks looks at various nondemocratic regimes, including those of Saddam Hussein and Joseph Stalin; the Argentine junta at the time of the Falklands War, the military government in Japan before and during World War II, and the North Vietnamese communist regime. She finds that the differences in the conflict behavior of distinct kinds of autocracies are as great as those between democracies and dictatorships. Indeed, some types of autocracies are no more belligerent or reckless than democracies, casting doubt on the common view that democracies are more selective about war than autocracies.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Tables And Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Authoritarian Regimes And The Domestic Politics Of War And Peace

2. Initiating International Conflict

3. Winners, Losers, And Survival

4. Personalist Dictators: Shooting From The Hip

5. Juntas: Using The Only Language They Understand

6. Machines: Looking Before They Leap

Conclusion

Appendix

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8014-5523-5

1-336-20820-1

0-8014-5524-3

OCLC:

890509326