Reluctance in World Politics: Why States Fail to Act Decisively

International actors, including powerful states, often fail to develop clear foreign policies and instead adopt indecisive, 'muddling-through approaches' due to reluctance in world politics. This book develops a concept and theory of reluctance and applies it to the study of regional crisis management by leading powers, finding that reluctance emerges when governments fail to devise clear foreign policy preferences and face competing international pressures. The study of reluctance sheds new light on some of the most pressing problems of our time, such as weak crisis management and cooperation deficits in global governance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 234 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2023
Publisher: Bristol University Press

Why do international actors, including powerful states, often fail to develop clear foreign policies and instead adopt indecisive, 'muddling-through approaches? This book develops a concept and theory of reluctance in world politics. Applying it to the study of regional crisis management by leading powers, it finds that reluctance emerges when governments fail to devise clear foreign policy preferences and face competing international pressures. The study of reluctance in world politics sheds new light on some of the most pressing problems of our time, from weak crisis management to cooperation deficits in global governance.

Why do international actors, including powerful states, often fail to develop clear foreign policies and instead adopt indecisive, 'muddling-through approaches? This book develops a concept and theory of reluctance in world politics. Applying it to the study of regional crisis management by leading powers, it finds that reluctance emerges when governments fail to devise clear foreign policy preferences and face competing international pressures. The study of reluctance in world politics sheds new light on some of the most pressing problems of our time, from weak crisis management to cooperation deficits in global governance.

Weight: 378g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529230246