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When Democracies Choose War: Politics, Public Opinion, and the Marketplace of Ideas

Andrew Z. Katz
When Democracies Choose War: Politics, Public Opinion, and the Marketplace of Ideas
ISBN: 978-1-62637-646-5
$85.00
ISBN: 978-1-62637-668-7
$85.00
2017/253 pages/LC: 2017002125
"A well-researched, well-written contribution to democratic peace scholarship."—Choice

DESCRIPTION

What is going on domestically when democracies choose war? Why do some wars of choice generate political opposition while others don't? Is there an internal mechanism that constrains the behavior of democracies when it comes to war? To answer these questions, Andrew Katz explores the relationship between public support for wars of choice and democratic norms in the marketplace of ideas.

With extensive empirical evidence ranging from the French war in Indochina after World War II to "Operation Iraqi Freedom," Katz provides new insights on the domestic sources of foreign policy, and especially on the role of public opinion in the decision to go to war.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Z. Katz is associate professor of political science and Class of 1954 Richard G. Lugar Professor in Public Policy at Denison University.

CONTENTS

  • Democratic Wars of Choice and the Marketplace of Ideas.
  • France’s Effort to Retain Indochina.
  • Richard Nixon's Pursuit of "Peace with Honor" in Vietnam.
  • Britain's War to Retake the Falklands.
  • Israel's 1982 Invasion of Lebanon to Secure Peace in Galilee
  • War as a "New Product": Marketing Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  • Toward a Better Understanding of Democracies at War?