Overview
- Covers a blind spot in IR theory by focusing on the increasing threat that intra-state violence poses to weak states and great powers alike
- Offers detailed and politically relevant case studies, including U.S collaboration with Afghanistan and Colombia as well as Russia's involvement with Syria's Assad regime
- Speaks to policy-makers and national security professionals by offering an accessible framework for understanding and predicting state responses to internal threats
Part of the book series: Governance, Security and Development (GSD)
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Table of contents (5 chapters)
Keywords
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Reviews
“Patrick Quirk provides the reader with a novel and elegant theoretical explanation of when alliances between great powers and weak states are likely to succeed against insurgencies. Explaining one of the most common kind of alliances after 9/11, the book appeals to both scholars and practitioners.” (Troels Henningsen, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Strategy, Royal Danish Defence College, Denmark)
“Patrick Quirk offers a brilliant and insightful analysis of how threats within countries endanger the interests of both great powers and weak states. As Quirk shows in examples drawn from Colombia, Afghanistan and Syria, internal challenges have become far more important in a world where interstate warfare has all but disappeared while domestic threats such as terrorism abound. Because these internal threats rarely remain within one country, understanding their implications for alliance formation and international security is critical. Policymakers, academics and the general public will find Quirk’s clearly presented analysis indispensable and fascinating.” (Steven R. David, Professor of International Relations, Johns Hopkins University, USA)
“Patrick Quirk’s Great Powers, Weak States, and Insurgency is an essential contribution to the scholarship on great power intervention in the internal conflicts of weaker states. By delving deeply into the workings of both the weaker power and the relationship between the stronger and weaker power, Quirk succeeds in crafting a highly nuanced and convincing explanation for the conditions under which a great power can successfully intervene in a foreign insurgency.” (Jeffrey W. Meiser, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Portland, USA)
“This is a refreshing new approach to alliance formation. Incisive and far-sighted, it sheds light on blind spots in existing paradigms and is a must read for scholars and policy-makers, especially those interested in the new geopolitical realignment unfolding in the Mideast as China and India join Russia in the Syrian war.” (Christina Lin, Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Great Powers, Weak States, and Insurgency
Book Subtitle: Explaining Internal Threat Alliances
Authors: Patrick W. Quirk
Series Title: Governance, Security and Development
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47419-9
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-83732-1Published: 03 May 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-47419-9Published: 25 January 2017
Series ISSN: 2945-7815
Series E-ISSN: 2945-7823
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 278
Topics: Foreign Policy, Conflict Studies, Military and Defence Studies, US Politics, Middle Eastern Politics, Latin American Politics