Crisis Bargaining and the State: The Domestic Politics of International Conflict

The first book to systematically explore the importance of domestic institutions to crisis bargaining, Crisis Bargaining and the State argues that the influence of a state’s bargaining behavior on its opponents foreign policy depends on the nature of the opposing government–its institutional structures and the strategic beliefs of its leaders. The author shows in three detailed case studies–the Crimean War crisis, the Fashoda crisis, and the Berlin crisis–the significance of domestic factors to questions of war and peace.
Peterson offers a comprehensive analysis of the domestic politics of crisis bargaining. She uses differences in state structure to explain variations in foreign policy processes and outcomes. By introducing domestic structure as a crucial intervening variable between the international environment and a state’s foreign policy during an acute conflict, Peterson shows how existing cognitive and bureaucratic approaches provide complementary, not competing, explanations of crisis bargaining. Crisis Bargaining and the State: The Domestic Politics of International Conflict applies recent research in the field of international political economy on the relationship between ideas, institutions, and the international environment to the issue of crisis bargaining. It will appeal to students, scholars, and policymakers interested in crisis bargaining, international security, and international relations. Susan Peterson is Assistant Professor, Department of Government, The College of William & Mary.