Fighting for Credibility: US Reputation and International Politics

by Frank P. Harvey, John Mitton

Overview

When Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people in Syria, he clearly crossed President Barack Obama’s "red line." At the time, many argued that the president had to bomb in order to protect America's reputation for toughness, and therefore its credibility, abroad; others countered that concerns regarding reputation were overblown, and that reputations are irrelevant for coercive diplomacy.

Whether international reputations matter is the question at the heart of Fighting for Credibility. For skeptics, past actions and reputations have no bearing on an adversary’s assessment of credibility; power and interests alone determine whether a threat is believed. Using a nuanced and sophisticated theory of rational deterrence, Frank P. Harvey and John Mitton argue the opposite: ignoring reputations sidesteps important factors about how adversaries perceive threats. Focusing on cases of asymmetric US encounters with smaller powers since the end of the Cold War including Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Syria, Harvey and Mitton reveal that reputations matter for credibility in international politics. This dynamic and deeply documented study successfully brings reputation back to the table of foreign diplomacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487511760
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	01/18/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Frank P. Harvey is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University where he also holds the Eric Dennis Chair of Government and Politics.

John Mitton is a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Reputations Research and Premature Closure of Inquiry

Chapter 2: Reputations Matter: Rational Deterrence Theory and Credibility Reconsidered

Chapter 3: US Reputation Building in Deterrence Encounters, 1991–2003

Chapter 4: The Strategic Logic of US Coercion: Explaining Failures and Successes in Syria, 2011- 2013

Chapter 5: RDT, Domestic Politics, and Audience Costs

Chapter 6: Reputations, Credibility, and Transferability – Reconsidering Syria’s Relevance to Iran, North Korea, and Beyond

Chapter 7: Responding to Critics: Alternative Explanations and Competing Policy Recommendations

Chapter 8: Expanding Theory-Policy Gaps in International Relations

Appendix 1

Glossary of Terms

What People are Saying About This

Frank Zagare

"Fighting for Credibility is a useful corrective for the all-too-convenient argument that reputations do not matter. Harvey and Mitton present a highly nuanced, well researched, and deeply documented counter-argument that clearly demonstrates that credibility does matter. They make a compelling case that there are indeed conditions under which a state's reputation may be worth fighting for."

James Fergusson

"Fighting for Credibility is an excellent piece of scholarly research. Frank P. Harvey and John Mitton's arguments are both in-depth and devastating. Their study provides a useful and timely policy corrective in the debate over coercive diplomacy."

Editorial Reviews

‘This detailed, technical study will be of special interest chiefly to the scholars of international relations and foreign policy.’

—M. Amstutz, Choice Magazine vol 54:10:2017

‘This book is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any scholar or practitioner interested in reputation, deterrence and compellence, or American foreign policy.’

—Danielle L. Lupton, ISSF Roundtable December 1, 2017

" Fighting for Credibility is a useful corrective for the all-too-convenient argument that reputations do not matter. Harvey and Mitton present a highly nuanced, well researched, and deeply documented counter-argument that clearly demonstrates that credibility does matter. They make a compelling case that there are indeed conditions under which a state’s reputation may be worth fighting for."

—Frank Zagare, UB Distinguished Professor, State University of New York, Buffalo

" Fighting for Credibility is an excellent piece of scholarly research. Frank P. Harvey and John Mitton’s arguments are both in-depth and devastating. Their study provides a useful and timely policy corrective in the debate over coercive diplomacy."

—James Fergusson, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, University of Manitoba

From the Publisher

'This book is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any scholar or practitioner interested in reputation, deterrence and compellence, or American foreign policy.'

ISSF Roundtable December 1, 2017 - Danielle L. Lupton

'This detailed, technical study will be of special interest chiefly to the scholars of international relations and foreign policy.'

Choice Magazine vol 54:10:2017 - M. Amstutz