When, and how, does democratization increase the chances of war? No question is more important for domestic politics and international affairs in the twenty-first century. Mansfield and Snyder offer specific answers, combining statistical analyses with case studies to demonstrate the critical role played by domestic political institutions. The book provides the most comprehensive evidence on the topic to date. It is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in the theory and practice of democracy.
Cindy Skach, Assistant Professor of Government, Harvard University
While the connections between democracy and peace are increasingly well understood, the process of transforming authoritarian regimes into liberal ones is inherently risky-both for the citizens of the states in question and for their neighbors. Mansfield and Snyder tackle one of the most profound foreign policy puzzles of our age: how to manage the process of political liberalization without creating unnecessary or unacceptable risks for the international community. This work will be of interest to scholars, students, and policymakers alike.
Allan C. Stam, Professor of Government, Dartmouth College
Everyone agrees that democracies make peace not war. But is that true? JAck Snyder and Edward Mansfield have posed the question and answered it with great rigor and sophistication. The result is an important book that describes a far more complicated relationship between democratization and peace than simple-minded rhetoric would suggest.
Fareed Zakaria, Editor, Newsweek International
With notable analytic agility and rigorous empiricism Mansfield and Snyder dissect the popular policy nostrum that promoting democracy abroad promotes peace in the world. Their incisive work will help policymakers sterr clear of misleading, facile assumptions and impel scholars to dig deeper and think harder on a subject of critical contemporary importance.
Thomas Carothers, Directors, Democracy and Rule of Law Project, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
American foreign policy has been based on the premise that democracy promotes peace. Electing to Fight conclusively shows, however, that democratization, when mishandled, leads to war. Its challenge to the conventional beliefs of scholars and politicians makes it one of the most important books on international affairs in recent decades.
Samuel P. Huntington, Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor, Harvard University
Electing to Fight is an important book. With analytical power and historical depth, Mansfield and Snyder argue for a simple conclusion: democratization can be dangerous, even if democracy, once achieved, is a good thing. Scholars, journalists, politicians, and citizens all need to hear this message, and to heed it. If Mansfield and Snyder are right, then policies that rely on war to promote elections are bound to produce disaster.
Joshua Cohen, Leon and Anne Goldberg Professor of the Humanities and Head of the Department of Political Science, MIT