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In democracies an effective media and opposition are both needed to sanction leaders’ foreign policy missteps

Potter, Philip B. K. and Baum, Matthew A. (2014) In democracies an effective media and opposition are both needed to sanction leaders’ foreign policy missteps. LSE American Politics and Policy (10 Feb 2014). Website.

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Abstract

Common wisdom in international affairs is that when democratically elected leaders and governments make threats towards other states, these are credible; voters will punish leaders who do not follow through on their words. New research by Philip B. K. Potter and Matthew A. Baum argues however, that not all democracies are equal in the credibility of their threats of military action. By analyzing data on international military disputes over a 35-year period, they find that both an effective and widespread media, and a robust opposition are needed in order for voters to become aware of foreign policy blunders. Without either of these, leaders can avoid following through on their threats with little fear of being punished by voters.

Item Type: Online resource (Website)
Official URL: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/
Additional Information: © 2014 The Author
Divisions: LSE
Subjects: E History America > E11 America (General)
J Political Science > JK Political institutions (United States)
Date Deposited: 07 Aug 2014 11:08
Last Modified: 13 Sep 2024 19:03
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/58733

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