Democratic Participation in Armed Conflict / Palgrave Studies in International Relations (PDF)

Patrick A. Mello is a Research Associate and Lecturer at Dresden University of Technology, Germany. His research interests include international relations theory and the influence of domestic politics on foreign policy as well as comparative and case study research methods. He has written articles for the European Journal of International Relations and the Journal of International Relations and Development.

'This timely study advances the debate about democracies and war. Mello focuses not on why democracies don't fight each other but instead on the question of when democracies are likely to intervene abroad. He provides new and important insights into the role of public opinion, identifies those institutional factors most likely to constrain executive action, and considers how the larger organizational environment influences decisions about the use of force. A must read for anyone interested in the forces driving military intervention today.' - Elizabeth Kier, University of Washington, USA

'Analyzing the wide variation in democratic alliance contributions in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Mello debunks prominent explanations that give undue weight to single variables. Rather, he finds that these contributions are explained by complex interactions among public opinion, parliamentary veto points, military capabilities, partisanship, and especially, constitutional constraints. Mello shows the implications of his argument for alliance operations in Libya in 2011 and for the relative inaction of democracies regarding Syria since 2011. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in alliances or the foreign policies of democracies.' - Andrew Bennett, Georgetown University, USA

'By systematically studying the impact of public support, parliamentary powers, constitutional restrictions and executive partisanship, Patrick Mello presents a comprehensive and nuanced picture of the forces driving liberal democracies to participate in military mission. Examining more than twenty democracies and three major interventions, this is a major contribution to our understanding of the complex relationship between democratic politics, peace and armed conflict. 'Democratic Participation in Armed Conflict' is essential reading for everyone interested in the Democratic Peace debate.' - Wolfgang Wagner, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

'This book