DPIR’s Andrew Payne releases new book examining the vast influence political considerations have on how conflicts are played out
In War on the Ballot: How the Election Cycle Shapes Presidential Decision-Making in War, Departmental Lecturer in International Relations Andrew Payne explores how presidential decisions on military and diplomatic strategy during the wars in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq were shaped by electoral politics.
The book – published by Columbia University Press - builds on a wealth of declassified documents and interviews with senior officials and military officers to reveal the extent to which political considerations shaped the development and implementation of US policy during these conflicts.
Andrew explains how domestic political considerations caused leaders to miss opportunities to limit the human and financial costs of each war and instead make crucial decisions with scant regard for their impact on the ground.
He highlights how electoral constraints operate across different phases of the political calendar, going beyond the period immediately before a presidential election.
Offering a systematic analysis of the relationship between electoral politics and wartime decision-making, this book poses crucial questions about democratic accountability in foreign policy.
We all have some intuitive sense that elections “matter,” but I hope this book provides a deeper understanding of exactly how, when and why they do so and in some of the most consequential conflicts of the post-1945 era.
Andrew was previously the Hedley Bull Research Fellow in International Relations at the University of Oxford and a William Golding Junior Research Fellow at Brasenose College. He serves on the board of Chatham House in London.
