Crucible of Beliefs: Learning, Alliances, and World Wars

Dan Reiter

Published by Cornell University Press 1996

Crucible of Beliefs

Learning, Alliances, and World Wars

Dan Reiter

In the series Cornell Studies in Security Affairs

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501744761

Overview
Contents

About this book

How do foreign policy-makers learn from history? When do states enter alliances? Beginning with these two questions, Dan Reiter uses recent work in social psychology and organization theory to build a formative-events model of learning in international politics. History does inform the decisions of policy-makers, he suggests, but it is history of a specific sort, based on firsthand experience in major events such as wars.

Reiter addresses a striking empirical puzzle: Why, in this century, have some small powers chosen to enter alliances when faced with international instability whereas others have stayed neutral? Specifically, why did Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway join NATO, while Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland did not? Employing quantitative and case study methods, Reiter finds that peacetime decisions about alliance and neutrality stem from states' experiences during world wars.

Tested against balance-of-threat theory, the leading realist explanation of alliance behavior, Reiter's formative-events model of learning emerges as a far better predictor of states' decisions. Crucible of Beliefs' findings show that, contrary to balance-of-threat theory, state leaders ignore the level of international threat and focus instead on avoiding past mistakes and repeating past successes. A serious blow to realism, these findings demonstrate that to understand the dynamics of world politics, it is essential to know how leaders learn from history.

Author information

Reiter Dan :

Dan Reiter is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Emory University.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Learning in International Politics Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
3. Realism, Balance of Threat, and Alliances Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
4. Cases, Hypotheses, and Variables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
5. Quantitative Results Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
6. Case Studies: Lessons Heeded Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	122
7. Case Studies: Lessons Not Learned? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	166
8. Political Structure and Learning Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
9. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Select Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	217
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 264
Illustrations
- Other: 13 tables
Keywords: Security Studies; International Studies

eBook

Published: May 15, 2019
ISBN: 9781501744761