The Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World War

by Gregory D. Miller

Overview

In The Shadow of the Past, Gregory D. Miller examines the role that reputation plays in international politics, emphasizing the importance of reliability—confidence that, based on past political actions, a country will make good on its promises—in the formation of military alliances. Challenging recent scholarship that focuses on the importance of credibility—a state’s reputation for following through on its threats—Miller finds that reliable states have much greater freedom in forming alliances than those that invest resources in building military force but then use it inconsistently.

To explore the formation and maintenance of alliances based on reputation, Miller draws on insights from both political science and business theory to track the evolution of great power relations before the First World War. He starts with the British decision to abandon "splendid isolation" in 1900 and examines three crises—the First Moroccan Crisis (1905–6), the Bosnia-Herzegovina Crisis (1908–9), and the Agadir Crisis (1911)—leading up to the war. He determines that states with a reputation for being a reliable ally have an easier time finding other reliable allies, and have greater autonomy within their alliances, than do states with a reputation for unreliability. Further, a history of reliability carries long-term benefits, as states tend not to lose allies even when their reputation declines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801450310
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	12/09/2011
Series:	Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gregory D. Miller has taught courses in international relations and terrorism at the College of William & Mary and the University of Oklahoma and served as director of the Summer Workshop on Teaching about Terrorism. He currently teaches at Oklahoma State University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables ix

Acknowledgments xi

1 Alliances and Reputation in International Relations 1

2 Reliability and Alliance Behavior 35

3 The End of Splendid Isolation: British Pursuit of an Ally, 1901-1905 63

4 The First Moroccan Crisis: Testing the Anglo-French Entente, 1904-1907 92

5 The Bosnia-Herzegovina Crisis: Expanding the Entente, 1907-1911 126

6 The Agadir Crisis: Rolling toward War, 1910-1914 152

7 Summary and Expansion of Findings 182

Appendixes

A First Treaty of Alliance between Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy, 20 May 1882 209

B The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, 30 January 1902 213

C Declaration between the United Kingdom and France Respecting Egypt and Morocco, 8 April 1904 217

D The Second Anglo-Japanese Agreement, 12 August 1905 221

E Conventions between Russia and the United Kingdom Relating to Persia, Afghanistan, and Tibet, 31 August 1907 225

Index 229

What People are Saying About This

Douglas M. Gibler

The Shadow of the Past is a very original book that deals with a central concept in International Relations. Using excellent historical evidence from several past crises, Gregory D. Miller demonstrates that leader concerns with state reputations are justified. Reputations for reliability allow leaders greater discretion in signing and servicing their alliances, making it easier to build coalitions in times of need. This is an important book for anyone interested in international relations theory or international conflict.

Dale C. Copeland

The Shadow of the Past is one of the best books on reputations and alliance behavior to come out over the last ten to fifteen years. Gregory D. Miller convincingly shows that a state's reputation for reliability strongly affects its ability to build and sustain effective alliances. In an era when many doubt the need for continued U.S. commitments to overseas alliances, the implications of this book are clearly profound.

Brian H. Lai

Gregory D. Miller's book advances our understanding of how a state’s reputation influences interactions with other states by testing novel hypotheses with in-depth case studies. This work also greatly contributes to our understanding of how alliances are formed and change over time due to a state’s reputation.

Editorial Reviews

A volume in the series "Cornell Studies in Security Affairs", The Shadow of the Past is an important read for anyone interested in the origins of the Great War or in the general problem of how wars begin.

The NYMAS Review

"The Shadow of the Past is one of the best books on reputations and alliance behavior to come out over the last ten to fifteen years. Gregory D. Miller convincingly shows that a state's reputation for reliability strongly affects its ability to build and sustain effective alliances. In an era when many doubt the need for continued U.S. commitments to overseas alliances, the implications of this book are clearly profound."

Dale C. Copeland

"Gregory D. Miller's book advances our understanding of how a state’s reputation influences interactions with other states by testing novel hypotheses with in-depth case studies. This work also greatly contributes to our understanding of how alliances are formed and change over time due to a state’s reputation."

Brian H. Lai

"The Shadow of the Past is a very original book that deals with a central concept in International Relations. Using excellent historical evidence from several past crises, Gregory D. Miller demonstrates that leader concerns with state reputations are justified. Reputations for reliability allow leaders greater discretion in signing and servicing their alliances, making it easier to build coalitions in times of need. This is an important book for anyone interested in international relations theory or international conflict."

Douglas M. Gibler

"The Shadow of the Past is one of the best books on reputations and alliance behavior to come out over the last ten to fifteen years. Gregory D. Miller convincingly shows that a state's reputation for reliability strongly affects its ability to build and sustain effective alliances. In an era when many doubt the need for continued U.S. commitments to overseas alliances, the implications of this book are clearly profound."—Dale C. Copeland, University of Virginia

"The Shadow of the Past is a very original book that deals with a central concept in International Relations. Using excellent historical evidence from several past crises, Gregory D. Miller demonstrates that leader concerns with state reputations are justified. Reputations for reliability allow leaders greater discretion in signing and servicing their alliances, making it easier to build coalitions in times of need. This is an important book for anyone interested in international relations theory or international conflict."—Douglas M. Gibler, author of The Territorial Peace: Borders, State Development, and International Conflict

"Gregory D. Miller's book advances our understanding of how a state’s reputation influences interactions with other states by testing novel hypotheses with in-depth case studies. This work also greatly contributes to our understanding of how alliances are formed and change over time due to a state’s reputation."—Brian H. Lai, University of Iowa

From the Publisher