Restoring emotions to the central place that they deserve, Robin Markwica deploys mastery of the literature in both psychology and international politics to enrich our understanding of the way states react to coercion. His analyses of Nikita Khrushchev's behavior in the Cuban missile crisis and Saddam Hussein in the Gulf conflict use original sources and make original arguments, showing the value of his path-breaking approach. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Affairs, Columbia University *
Robin Markwica develops an impressive emotion-based action model for understanding foreign policy and responses to coercive diplomacy. He applies it convincingly, and with great skill, to two critical confrontations: the Cuban missile crisis and the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. This is a must read for scholars and policymakers alike, as both consistently err in ignoring how anger, concern for self-esteem, and fear of being seen as weak affect the responses of leaders under threat. * Richard Ned Lebow, Professor of International Political Theory, King's College London, and James O. Freedman Presidential Professor Emeritus, Dartmouth College *
Although almost all academics endorse the need for truly interdisciplinary research, few have the ability to execute it well. Robin Markwica's new book reveals that he is one of the rare scholars who has this talent. Bringing a breath of fresh air into international relations theory, he cleverly integrates the latest science on emotion and decision-making. Moving well beyond simple predictions about positive versus negative emotion, Markwica draws on the Appraisal-Tendency Framework to link specific emotions to specific decision processes of great significance. Anyone interested in understanding how micro processes (e.g., mind, brain) scale up to global political events will want to read this book. * Jennifer S. Lerner, Professor of Public Policy and Psychology, Harvard University *
The heart not only has its reasons, it has a logic that can help policy-makers engaged in coercive diplomacy. Robin Markwica exploits new research on emotion to create an original argument about emotional choices that he then examines in two fascinating case studies. An ambitious, important, and provocative book. * Jonathan Mercer, Professor of International Relations, University of Washington *
Many scholars accept that fear, anger, and humiliation may influence decision-makers, especially in crisis situations. The problem is how to address emotions in a coherent way. Robin Markwica's book significantly advances this program. Building on an encyclopedic knowledge of a wide variety of literatures on emotion, Markwica's research aims to integrate a logic of affect with the rational choice logic of consequences and the constructivist logic of appropriateness. Empirically, Markwica illustrates how his approach can broaden our understanding of variation in outcomes in important cases of coercive diplomacy. One of Markwica's most important contributions is his highly original methodological strategy for inferring emotions from external representations. Markwica's research will be of interest to a wide variety of international relations scholars, emotion researchers, and historians. * Roger Petersen, Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science, MIT *
Robin Markwica provides an important corrective to formal theories of crisis bargaining that build on rational choice. He makes a compelling argument about the role that emotion plays in decision-making and draws important implications for strategy. An important book in our troubled world. * Janice Gross Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, University of Toronto *
Markwica brilliantly combines the latest insights from neuropsychology and international relations to produce an excellent framework for understanding how emotions can affect state leaders under the most stressful circumstances. His findings have great theoretical value and provide policy makers with insight on the psychological processes involved in coercive diplomacy, their relevance, and the great caution they should induce. * Matthew R. Costlow, National Institute for Public Policy, Strategic Studies Quarterly *
Emotional Choices excels in integrating disparate literatures from cognate fields and in developing an emotion-based action model that covers both the cultural context of emotions and their impact on state behavior. [...] [It] is a must read for anyone who is interested in how emotions shape decisions in international politics. * Payam Ghalehdar, Harvard University, Peace Review *
Emotional Choices is a long-overdue and successful attempt to conceptualise the logic of affect in the discipline of International Relations. [...] [It] combines the painstaking work of crafting a theory, establishing a methodology for its application and then applying it, demonstrating the combination of theoretical innovation and empirical contribution in its best form. * Ignas Kalpokas, Vytautas Magnus University, LSE Review of Books *
Emotional Choices advances an original theoretical framework, the logic of affect, for understanding how emotions shape the way in which policy-makers form judgements and take decisions when the countries they represent are the subject of coercive diplomacy [...] [It] is a welcome addition to the growing literature informing the recent 'emotional turn' in the international relations discipline. A well-written book that scholars and graduate students will find enlightening in understanding the complex mechanism by which emotions may exert influence on decision-making, especially in times of crisis [...] The author proposes for inferring actors' emotions and the related typology of emotional signs are particularly useful for tracing the influence of emotions in strategic or individual contexts; they also hold out the promise of application in areas outside the specific theme of the book. * Corneliu Bjola, Oxford University, European Review of International Studies *
Robin Markwica's Emotional Choices is one of the most powerful books ever written in the field of International Relations on the role of affect in shaping the coercive use of force. [...] The case studies are compelling in the accounts they offer and show that an emotional lens proves a useful, additional approach to understanding the decision-making process of leaders. [...] The theory and methodological approach Markwica uses are novel and significantly advance not only our understanding of [emotions'] role in decision-making but also how to study them systematically. [...] Emotional Choices should be a required reading not only to anyone who is interested in understanding the logic of coercive diplomacy, but also to students seeking to explore how to make sense of the messy world of emotions and systematically apply those insights to understand the political behavior of leaders. * Keren Yarhi-Milo, Princeton University, Political Psychology *
Robin Markwica's impressive book, Emotional Choices, tackles an important and challenging aspect of decision-making by providing an over-arching theoretical argument about the influence of emotion on both the process and content of coercive diplomacy. The influence of emotion on decision making has generated increasing interest and attention in the last decade or so as a useful corrective following the apex of the cognitive revolution in psychology in the 1990s. But most scholars have considered it too daunting to try to create a comprehensive approach, assuming that such a task would have to await a much more extensive ability to use MRI technology to locate the sources of emotional influence on decision. But such technological innovation proved to be not necessary. Markwica has provided a thorough, clear, comprehensive and extremely well-organized account. * Rose McDermott, Brown University, H-Diplo/International Security Studies Forum (ISSF) Roundtable Review *
Robin Markwica's Emotional Choices is an intellectual tour de force that takes on the often appreciated, but rarely systematically articulated, role of affect in international relations. [...] Chapters 2 and 3 should be required reading for anyone in the social sciences who is doing applied research that features a role for emotions. These chapters will help scholars think analytically about the work that emotion is doing in your theory. And also help them think through your empirical strategies. [...] Scholars from the rational choice tradition would also benefit from the clear explication of how to think about emotion in strategic contexts. [...] In sum, Emotional Choices is a great book that scholars with a range of substantive interests and methodological approaches will enjoy. * Dustin Tingley, Harvard University, H-Diplo/International Security Studies Forum (ISSF) Roundtable Review *
A major contribution to the field that unifies cognition and emotion to develop a logic of emotional choice that connects to broader cultural and social theories. The book develops a clear set of theoretical expectations and tests them against evidence from two cases of coercive diplomacy with rich documentary evidence. [...] The most comprehensive analysis of the psychological literature on emotion and its applications to foreign policy decision-making. * Janice Stein, University of Toronto, "Psychology and Foreign Policy", Oxford Bibliographies *
Specialists and non-specialists alike will appreciate Markwica's fresh take on two heavily studied cases, a take that is also refreshing for its training the lens on the non-US side. Dissertation writers would do well to examine the book as an excellent example of posing a clear research question; laying out an impressive literature review - one that is both expansive and concisely rendered; being clear about the methodology; anticipating criticism and responding to it effectively throughout without being overly defensive; using primary sources effectively; offering comparisons of the two case studies; laying out suggestions for future research; and, most importantly, developing a nuanced model - one that seeks to carve out a niche between various sets of assumptions that are often overly hardened in our field. * Mira Sucharov, Carleton University, International Journal *
The logic of affect sheds light on decisions that previously evaded comprehension via the existing theories of choice, as well as improving explanations in cases where the existing theories were partially successful. [...] In a field concerned with human decisions and interactions, [Markwica's] human-focused theory of choice is a welcome addition that starts to bridge a long-existing chasm in reconciling what ought to happen with what does happen when the rubber hits the road. * Marija Jovanovich, U.S. Air War College, H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online *
"[Robin Markwica] seeks to dramatically revise, if not overturn, our understanding of foreign policy decision making by developing a theory of 'emotional choice,' in contrast to rational choice theory. [...] [He] is able to make use of new documents, interviews, and memoirs, and although I am familiar with both of these cases, I certainly learned from his marshaling of new evidence. [...] This is a strong book on theoretical, methodological, and empirical grounds, and I could sing its praises for the remainder of my word count. * Neta C. Crawford, Boston University, Perspectives on Politics *
Markwica has produced an ambitious, thorough and insightful book that will certainly help move forward the study of emotions in international relations. [...] His case studies are illuminating accounts of two conflicts that continue to perplex and will be of relevance to future work in both history and international relations. * Adam B. Lerner, Cambridge University, Cambridge Review of International Affairs *
Emotional Choices enriches the literature on the interplay of emotion and international relations. [...] Markwica's book has the potential to provide enduring inspiration for the scholarly discussion of decision-making processes. It is not only his historically grounded analysis, but also his focus on emotion as an additional variable in these processes as well as the relative openness, plurality, and flexibility of his approach that gives the book special appeal for the social sciences, for policy observers, and for decision-makers themselves. * Anna Rauscher and Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Free University Berlin, Neue Politische Literatur *
This rich study makes two valuable and innovative contributions: it defines emotional choice theory and develops the theory of coercive diplomacy. [...] All readers interested in methodological innovation and emotional diplomacy will find this book to their benefit. * Wolfgang Mueller, University of Vienna, International Affairs *
