Coalition Politics and the Iraq War

Reviews:

“The author skillfully analyzes the process of decision making and provides important insights into the ways that different countries approached the demands and requests of the US... This work gives the reader a firm sense of the operative dynamics of choice.”

—Choice

“Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the “coalitions of the willing” that have become central to US foreign policy since the end the of the Cold War ... The analysis is highly relevant not just to ongoing efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also to attempts to build coalitions to sanction Iran and North Korea for their nuclear weapons programs.”
—Andrew Bennett, Georgetown University

“Addressing the puzzle of coalition burden sharing, Baltrusaitis provides an important and policy relevant addition to our understanding of both foreign policy decision making and the crucial interplay between domestic politics and alliance behavior.”
—Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University

“Provides new insights... Baltrusaiits's research helps us to better understand the difficult choices that states made regarding the war in Iraq, as well as the array of factors that shape foreign policy decisions involving war and peace.”
—Ryan C. Hendrickson, Eastern Illinois University

Description:

Why do states join ad hoc military coalitions” What motivated South Korea to contribute significantly to the Iraq War “coalition of the willing,” while such steadfast allies as Turkey and Germany resisted US pressure to become burden-sharing partners” Drawing on his extensive examination of South Korean, German, and Turkish politics in the approach to and during the Iraq War, Daniel Baltrusaitis offers in-depth analysis of how domestic political dynamics critically influence a state's level of material and diplomatic support to “coalitions of choice.”

Target Audience:

Researchers of Iraq war, international relations and political science.