Power and Military Effectiveness
eBook - ePub

Power and Military Effectiveness

The Fallacy of Democratic Triumphalism

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Power and Military Effectiveness

The Fallacy of Democratic Triumphalism

About this book

Since 1815 democratic states have emerged victorious from most wars, leading many scholars to conclude that democracies are better equipped to triumph in armed conflict with autocratic and other non-representative governments.

Political scientist Michael C. Desch argues that the evidence and logic of that supposition, which he terms "democratic triumphalism, " are as flawed as the arguments for the long-held and opposite belief that democracies are inherently disadvantaged in international relations. Through comprehensive statistical analysis, a thorough review of two millennia of international relations thought, and in-depth case studies of modern-era military conflicts, Desch finds that the problems that persist in prosecuting wars—from building up and maintaining public support to holding the military and foreign policy elites in check—remain constant regardless of any given state's form of government. In assessing the record, he finds that military effectiveness is almost wholly reliant on the material assets that a state possesses and is able to mobilize.

Power and Military Effectiveness is an instructive reassessment of the increasingly popular belief that military success is one of democracy's many virtues. International relations scholars, policy makers, and military minds will be well served by its lessons.

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Yes, you can access Power and Military Effectiveness by Michael C. Desch in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Comparative Politics. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. 1 Democracy and Victory: Why Democracy Is Not a Liability
  8. 2 Democracy and Victory: Why Regime Type Hardly Matters
  9. 3 Democracy and the Russo-Polish War
  10. 4 Democracy and Israel's Military Effectiveness
  11. 5 Democracy and Britain's Victory in the Falklands War
  12. 6 If Not Democracy, Then What?
  13. Notes
  14. Index