Reputation and International Politics

By approaching an important foreign policy issue from a new angle, Jonathan Mercer comes to a startling, controversial discovery: a nation's reputation is not worth fighting for.

Jonathan Mercer is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington.

This excellent book is well written, detailed, and thought-provoking.

Jack Levy:

This imaginative and provocative book is an important contribution to a long-neglected question and is essential reading for any historian or international relations theorist interested in the role of reputation in international politics.

Patrick Morgan:

Mercer's startling challenge to accepted wisdom deserves wide attention.

Paul Huth:

Mercer's argument is a welcome addition to the theoretical literature because it represents the first clear statement of a non-rational, choice-based theory of reputations.

Steve Rosen:

A book full of fascinating and suggestive insights into the cognitive processes relevant to international relations.