Violent Victors: Why Bloodstained Parties Win Postwar Elections

Violent Victors explores how parties that commit mass atrocities in war often win the support of victimized populations to establish the postwar political order. It argues that postconflict elections do not necessarily give rise to renewed instability or political violence, but voters sacrifice justice, liberal democracy, and social welfare.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 408 pages
Publication date: 22 November 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

One of the most perplexing aspects of electoral politics is the phenomenon wherein parties that perpetrate mass atrocities during war manage to secure the support of the very populations they have victimized in order to establish the postwar political order. This intriguing puzzle has been the subject of much scholarly inquiry and debate.

Violent Victors, a groundbreaking book by Sarah Daly, delves into the mechanisms by which parties originating from violent, wartime belligerents successfully campaign as the best providers of future societal peace, attracting votes not only from their core supporters but oftentimes also from the very people they targeted in war.

Through more than two years of extensive fieldwork, Daly combines case studies of victim voters in Latin America with experimental survey evidence and new data on postwar elections across the globe. Her compelling argument challenges the widely held notion that postconflict elections invariably lead to renewed instability or political violence. Instead, Daly demonstrates how war-scarred citizens reward belligerent parties for promising peace and security rather than holding them accountable for the war.

However, this decision by voters comes at a significant cost. They sacrifice justice, liberal democracy, and social welfare, as they prioritize short-term stability and security over long-term democratic values and welfare.

In order to mitigate these trade-offs and promote more democratic and just postwar outcomes, Violent Victors offers actionable interventions that can help moderate these choices. By linking war outcomes with democratic outcomes, the book sheds essential new light on political life after war and provides global perspectives on important questions about electoral behavior in the wake of mass violence.

This thought-provoking book is a valuable contribution to the field of political science and offers valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of postwar politics and the role of victimization in shaping electoral outcomes.

Weight: 646g
Dimension: 235 x 157 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691231334