While Dangers Gather (ebook)

Argumento de While Dangers Gather (ebook)

"This is the state-of-the-art book on the domestic and international politics of the use of military force abroad by U.S. presidents. It should be widely read for the depth and breadth of its scholarship, and for the importance of its topic."--Bruce Russett, Yale University

"This is probably the best book yet on the domestic politics of American decisions to use military force. Through an astonishing array of empirical data, it presents convincing evidence that the history of American military action during the postwar era would have looked quite different without congressional restraints. The authors weave three bodies of research--political communication, executive-legislative politics, and the international relations literature on the use of force--into a single coherent, causal story, and their language is quite lucid and jargon-free."--Benjamin O. Fordham, Binghamton University

"This is an important book that scholars will have to take seriously. The authors' persuasive assertions that Congress is a serious constraint on presidential power are bold and sure to ignite debate. While other scholars have begun to tread on the conventional wisdom, none have done such a comprehensive job in making the claim and supporting it with such a variety of evidence."--Linda L. Fowler, Dartmouth College

"Howell and Pevehouse's research is an excellent addition to a stream of literature that has left woefully unconsidered the effects of domestic politics in general and the institution of Congress in particular on the international relations process. . . . Their book shows that Congress can, and apparently does, have substantial effects on how the president crafts foreign policy. Future scholars would be well advised to continue to walk down the path paved by this well crafted addition to the American foreign policy literature."--Walt Jatkowski, APSA Booknotes

Co-Winner of the 2008 Richard E. Neustadt Award, Presidency Research Section of the American Political Science Association
Winner of the 2007 D. B. Hardeman Prize, Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation

"Taken in its entirety, the outstanding scholarship presented in While Dangers Gather offers critical insight into the domestic politics of war and provides an interesting case in favor of divided government as an apparent check on presidents' proclivity to engage in war."--Jeffrey S. Peake, Presidential Studies Quarterly

"[The authors] argue that when it comes to 'wars of choice,' Congress's partisan composition influences whether the U.S. sends troops abroad, how likely the nation is to respond to a foreign crisis with force, and how long the decision to respond takes....To understand how Congress wields its influence during the lead-up to war, Howell surveyed the range of congressional actions--hearings, investigations, nonbinding resolutions, public criticisms. In the final section of the book, he connect[s] those activities to foreign-affairs media coverage."--Laura Stuart, Chicago Magazine

"The book is refreshingly straightforward in presentation."--Michael D. Ramsey, Review of Politics0List of Figures vii
List of Tables ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xxv

Part One: Background and Theory 1

Chapter 1: Possibilities of Congressional Influence 3
Chapter 2: Conditions that Abet Congressional Influence 33

Part Two: Testing Claims about Congressional Influence 51

Chapter 3: Trends in Military Deployments 53
Chapter 4: Responding to "Opportunities" to Use Military Force (with Douglas L. Kriner) 75
Chapter 5: Studies in Domestic Politics and the Use of Force 114

Part Three: One Causal Pathway 153

Chapter 6: Congress and the Media (with Douglas L. Kriner) 155
Chapter 7: The Media and Public Opinion 192
Chapter 8: Conclusion 222

Appendix A: Tables Relating to Chapter 3 243
Appendix B: Text and Tables Relating to Chapter 4 245
Appendix C: Table Relating to Chapter 6 259
Appendix D: Table Relating to Chapter 7 260

Notes 263
References 307
Index 323