Diversionary war : the link between domestic unrest and international conflict / Amy Oakes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Oakes, Amy, 1976-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Politics and war.

War--Causes.

War.

Political stability.

War--Decision making.

International relations--Decision making.

International relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (281 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The very existence of diversionary wars is hotly contested in the press and among political scientists. Yet no book has so far tackled the key questions of whether leaders deliberately provoke conflicts abroad to distract the public from problems at home, or whether such gambles offer a more effective response to domestic discontent than appeasing opposition groups with political or economic concessions. Diversionary War addresses these questions by reinterpreting key historical examples of diversionary war—such as Argentina's 1982 Falklands Islands invasion and U.S. President James Buchanan's decision to send troops to Mormon Utah in 1857. It breaks new ground by demonstrating that the use of diversionary tactics is, at best, an ineffectual strategy for managing civil unrest, and draws important conclusions for policymakers—identifying several new, and sometimes counterintuitive, avenues by which embattled states can be pushed toward adopting alternative political, social, or economic strategies for managing domestic unrest.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Tables and Figures

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

2. The Causes and Consequences of Diversionary War

3. Quantitative Results

4. A Diversionary War: Argentina’s Invasion of the British Falkland Islands, 1982

5. A Diversionary Spectacle: The U.S. Government’s Expedition to the Utah Territory, 1857–1858

6. The Road Not Taken: When Pauper States Do Not Use Diversionary Tactics

7. Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780804784931

0804784930

OCLC:

812067001