War and Democratic Constraint

"Taking us past democratic peace and other generalizations, Baum and Potter present a comparative and differentiated analysis that insightfully explains variations in the politics of the use of force among democracies, and integrates systemic factors including national political institutions and the interactions of the media, elites, and general public."--Bruce W. Jentleson, Duke University"War and Democratic Constraint is a major achievement on several fronts. It offers evidence that public opinion can and does constrain government actions--in the foreign policy area no less. More importantly, it shows how this power to constrain is not the same for all democracies. The book demonstrates more than any work to date the value of studying the interplay of public opinion, the media, elite leadership, and policymaking."--Robert Y. Shapiro, Columbia University"Answering important questions about foreign policy and leadership, this book is the first to comprehensively explore why some leaders are more constrained by public opinion than others. Baum and Potter look at aspects of democratic systems--political opposition, press freedom, and media access--in relation to their constraints on leadership. While there are works on democracy and democratization, none make the connections to media like this one does."--Patrick James, University of Southern California"With War and Democratic Constraint, Baum and Potter have made a major advance in our understanding of how the news media does and does not enable the public to control its government. A seminal book on political communication and democratic responsiveness, this work will be read by scholars and students for years to come."--Jonathan M. Ladd, Georgetown University