{"product_id":"painful-choices-david-a-welch-9780691165943","title":"Painful Choices: A Theory of Foreign Policy Change","description":"\u003cp\u003eUnder what conditions should we expect states to do things radically differently all of a sudden? In this book, David Welch seeks to answer this question, constructing a theory of foreign policy change inspired by organization theory, cognitive and motivational psychology, and prospect theory. He then \"test drives\" the theory in a series of comparative case studies in the security and trade domains: Argentina's decision to go to war over the Falklands\/Malvinas vs. Japan's endless patience with diplomacy in its conflict with Russia over the Northern Territories; America's decision to commit large-scale military force to Vietnam vs. its ultimate decision to withdraw; and Canada's two abortive flirtations with free trade with the United States in 1911 and 1948 vs. its embrace of free trade in the late 1980s. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePainful Choices\u003c\/i\u003e has three main objectives: to determine whether the general theory project in the field of international relations can be redeemed, given disappointment with previous attempts; to reflect on what this reveals about the possibilities and limits of general theory; and to inform policy. Welch argues that earlier efforts at general theory erred by aiming to explain state \u003ci\u003ebehavior\u003c\/i\u003e, which is an intractable problem. Instead, since inertia is the default expectation in international politics, all we need do is to explain \u003ci\u003echanges\u003c\/i\u003e in behavior. \u003ci\u003ePainful Choices\u003c\/i\u003e shows that this is a tractable problem with clear implications for intelligence analysts and negotiators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David a. Welch\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691165947\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691165943\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/28\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.98lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.65d","brand":"David a. Welch","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43925622915327,"sku":"9780691165943","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_a32b97c3-e9e2-408f-aba9-792dc0f4f83c.jpg?v=1681078367","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/painful-choices-david-a-welch-9780691165943","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}