The Art of Coercion by Reid Pauly

The Art of Coercion by Reid Pauly is a newly published book on the success or failures of coercion in relation to nuclear proliferation. This is an academic book, on the dry side, but that I found really interesting and that I would recommend. The book is rather short as in number of pages, but detailed and clear, making it a good option for anybody interested in this subject or in politics in general.

There are a four case studies, as chapters: South Africa, Iraq, Libya, and Iran. The differences and similarities between them are not spelled out in the book, which keeps the reader engaged. I really liked this, hence the 5 stars I awarded the book. Also, the book starts with the, very important in this case, definitions and interpretations on key aspects, such as assurance dilemma. This focus on assurance was fascinating. It means, basically, that the state coercing and the state being coerced need credible assurances for the deterrence to work. If a state thinks that no matter what they do, they will still be punished, then what’s the point in doing what the other state wants them to do.
Naturally, in politics and in relations between states the situation is very complicated and trust between the parties is not strong.

The book is open source as an e-book on the Cornell University Press’s website. Do download it and read it if you find this interesting.

The Art of Coercion by Reid Pauly

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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Cornell University Press
Year it was published: 2015
Format: e-book
Genre(s): Politics
Pages: 252

About the author: Reid B. C. Pauly is Assistant Professor of Political Science and the Dean’s Assistant Professor of Nuclear Security and Policy at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
He has a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Security Studies Program, and have held fellowships at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the Harvard Kennedy School. He is focused on coercion in international politics, nuclear weapons proliferation, nuclear strategy and deterrence, wargaming and crisis simulations, and tacit cooperation between adversaries.
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