{"product_id":"war-and-democratic-constraint-matthew-a-baum-9780691165233","title":"War and Democratic Constraint: How the Public Influences Foreign Policy","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhy do some democracies reflect their citizens' foreign policy preferences better than others? What roles do the media, political parties, and the electoral system play in a democracy's decision to join or avoid a war? \u003ci\u003eWar and Democratic Constraint\u003c\/i\u003e shows that the key to how a government determines foreign policy rests on the transmission and availability of information. Citizens successfully hold their democratic governments accountable and a distinctive foreign policy emerges when two vital institutions--a diverse and independent political opposition and a robust media--are present to make timely information accessible. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMatthew Baum and Philip Potter demonstrate that there must first be a politically potent opposition that can blow the whistle when a leader missteps. This counteracts leaders' incentives to obscure and misrepresent. Second, healthy media institutions must be in place and widely accessible in order to relay information from whistle-blowers to the public. Baum and Potter explore this communication mechanism during three different phases of international conflicts: when states initiate wars, when they respond to challenges from other states, or when they join preexisting groups of actors engaged in conflicts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eExamining recent wars, including those in Afghanistan and Iraq, \u003ci\u003eWar and Democratic Constraint\u003c\/i\u003e links domestic politics and mass media to international relations in a brand-new way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Matthew A. Baum, Philip B. K. Potter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691165238\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691165233\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 04\/27\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.00w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2015","brand":"Matthew A. Baum","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46489219399935,"sku":"9780691165233","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_882956dc-9489-4840-8b2d-86a283d6c279.jpg?v=1736952924","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/war-and-democratic-constraint-matthew-a-baum-9780691165233","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}