Punishing the Prince

International relations theorists have long understood that treating states as rational, unitary actors is at best a useful first approximation. The challenge has been figuring out how to relax this assumption in fruitful ways that avoid theoretical chaos. Full of interesting insights and ideas, Punishing the Prince is an important contribution to opening up the black box. -- Robert Powell, University of California, Berkeley McGillivray and Smith develop a novel theory of international cooperation that places the incentives of state leaders front and center. They skillfully combine formal methods with experimental and quantitative evidence to show that the fate of leaders and the prospects for interstate cooperation are inextricably linked. Given its important insights into issues of credible commitment, reputation, signaling, and domestic political influences on foreign policy, this book should have wide-ranging influence. -- Kenneth Schultz, Stanford University McGillivray and Smith present a powerful, insightful, and intuitively appealing idea with important implications for international relations. -- Hein Goemans, Rochester University Wide-ranging and rigorously argued, this is a powerful and informative book. -- Bruce Russett, Yale University

Reveals how targeting individual leaders for punishment rather than the nations they represent creates incentives for cooperation between nations and leaves room for future relations with pariah states. This book demonstrates that theories of leader punishment explain a great deal about international behavior and interstate relations.When the United States invaded Iraq, President Bush made it clear: the U.S. was not fighting the Iraqi people. Rather, all quarrels were solely with Iraq's leadership. This kind of assertion remains frequent in foreign affairs--sanctions or military actions are imposed on a nation not because of its people, but because of its misguided leaders. Although the distinction might seem pedantic since the people suffer regardless, Punishing the Prince reveals how targeting individual leaders for punishment rather than the nations they represent creates incentives for cooperation between nations and leaves room for future relations with pariah states. Punishing the Prince demonstrates that theories of leader punishment explain a great deal about international behavior and interstate relations. The book examines the impact that domestic political institutions have on whether citizens hold their leaders accountable for international commitments and shows that the degrees to which citizens are able to remove leaders shape the dynamics of interstate relations and leader turnover. Through analyses of sovereign debt, international trade, sanctions, and crisis bargaining, Fiona McGillivray and Alastair Smith also uncover striking differences in patterns of relations between democratic and autocratic states. Bringing together a vast body of information, Punishing the Prince offers new ways of thinking about international relations.