Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Reputations Research and Premature Closure of Inquiry

Chapter 2: Reputations Matter: Rational Deterrence Theory and Credibility Reconsidered

Chapter 3: US Reputation Building in Deterrence Encounters, 1991–2003

Chapter 4: The Strategic Logic of US Coercion: Explaining Failures and Successes in Syria, 2011- 2013

Chapter 5: RDT, Domestic Politics, and Audience Costs

Chapter 6: Reputations, Credibility, and Transferability – Reconsidering Syria’s Relevance to Iran, North Korea, and Beyond

Chapter 7: Responding to Critics: Alternative Explanations and Competing Policy Recommendations

Chapter 8: Expanding Theory-Policy Gaps in International Relations

Appendix 1

Glossary of Terms

Promotional Information

"Fighting for Credibility is a useful corrective for the all-too-convenient argument that reputations do not matter. Harvey and Mitton present a highly nuanced, well researched, and deeply documented counter-argument that clearly demonstrates that credibility does matter. They make a compelling case that there are indeed conditions under which a state's reputation may be worth fighting for." -- Frank Zagare, UB Distinguished Professor, State University of New York, Buffalo "Fighting for Credibility is an excellent piece of scholarly research. Frank P. Harvey and John Mitton's arguments are both in-depth and devastating. Their study provides a useful and timely policy corrective in the debate over coercive diplomacy." -- James Fergusson, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, University of Manitoba

About the Author

Frank P. Harvey is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Dalhousie University where he also holds the Eric Dennis Chair of Government and Politics.

John Mitton is a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.

Reviews

‘This detailed, technical study will be of special interest chiefly to the scholars of international relations and foreign policy.’ - M. Amstutz (Choice Magazine vol 54:10:2017) ‘This book is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any scholar or practitioner interested in reputation, deterrence and compellence, or American foreign policy.’ - Danielle L. Lupton (ISSF Roundtable December 1, 2017)