Ambiguous Alliance: Credible Commitment and Military Intervention in Interstate Wars

By Michael D. Cohen

Why do weaker states repeatedly commit to wars alongside great powers, even when their involvement is unlikely to change the outcome of the conflict? Ambiguous Alliance offers a fresh explanation of why states join others' conflicts, and what these choices reveal about their foreign policy and grand strategic ambitions. It argues that participation serves as a signal, helping states leverage stronger military commitments from more powerful allies. Michael Cohen's analysis links literatures on signalling, interstate wars, and military alliances to examine which states enter others' fights and why. Drawing on extensive archival sources, he delivers a compelling new study of Australia's commitment to US wars and the US-Australia alliance during the Cold War, alongside cases spanning from the 1750s to the present day. The book also illuminates the prospects of major powers, such as the United States and Russia, to elicit military support from others in contemporary conflicts.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1047752603
• ISBN13: 9781047752602
• Release Date: April 2027
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 345 Pages