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The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics [Paperback]

Michael C. Horowitz
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Book Description

July 1, 2010

The Diffusion of Military Power examines how the financial and organizational challenges of adopting new methods of fighting wars can influence the international balance of power. Michael Horowitz argues that a state or actor wishing to adopt a military innovation must possess both the financial resources to buy or build the technology and the internal organizational capacity to accommodate any necessary changes in recruiting, training, or operations. How countries react to new innovations--and to other actors that do or don't adopt them--has profound implications for the global order and the likelihood of war.

Horowitz looks at some of the most important military innovations throughout history, including the advent of the all-big-gun steel battleship, the development of aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons, and the use of suicide terror by nonstate actors. He shows how expensive innovations can favor wealthier, more powerful countries, but also how those same states often stumble when facing organizationally complicated innovations. Innovations requiring major upheavals in doctrine and organization can disadvantage the wealthiest states due to their bureaucratic inflexibility and weight the balance of power toward smaller and more nimble actors, making conflict more likely. This book provides vital insights into military innovations and their impact on U.S. foreign policy, warfare, and the distribution of power in the international system.


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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"Michael Horowitz's The Diffusion of Military Power is a model for twenty-first-century security studies: an important question (how do military innovations spread), interdisciplinary theory, solutions to important historical puzzles, insight into contemporary policy problems, and the use of rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods. A triumph."--Dan Reiter, Emory University

"At the core of this valuable piece of work is the notion of 'adoption capacity,' a concept that Horowitz develops and explores in a set of well-chosen case studies that he examines using a variety of methodologies. In cases as diverse as the introduction of carrier-based naval warfare and suicide bombing, he explores the ways new forms of warfare are adopted, and the systems-level consequences that result. An original, thoughtful, and useful piece of scholarship."--Eliot A. Cohen, Johns Hopkins University

"In The Diffusion of Military Power, Michael Horowitz explains how and why military innovations are adopted by state and nonstate actors. These insights are particularly valuable at a time of rapid technological, strategic, and organizational change such as we are living through today, and have immediate implications for the balance of power and the international system. Highly recommended."--John A. Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security and author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife

"This book makes an important contribution to the scholarship on military diffusion and international power. It will be of much interest to scholars of international security, strategic studies, and military affairs. The book's greatest theoretical contribution is its discussion of the systemic consequences of diffusion."--Emily Goldman, United States Central Command

"Horowitz makes an excellent contribution to the international relations literature generally and work on military innovations particularly. His theory has immediate relevance to discussions about the future of American military strategy, and is helpful in understanding the decisions states face in threatening environments. This is a very good book."--Glenn Palmer, Pennsylvania State University

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

"Michael Horowitz's The Diffusion of Military Power is a model for twenty-first-century security studies: an important question (how do military innovations spread), interdisciplinary theory, solutions to important historical puzzles, insight into contemporary policy problems, and the use of rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods. A triumph."--Dan Reiter, Emory University

"At the core of this valuable piece of work is the notion of 'adoption capacity,' a concept that Horowitz develops and explores in a set of well-chosen case studies that he examines using a variety of methodologies. In cases as diverse as the introduction of carrier-based naval warfare and suicide bombing, he explores the ways new forms of warfare are adopted, and the systems-level consequences that result. An original, thoughtful, and useful piece of scholarship."--Eliot A. Cohen, Johns Hopkins University

"In The Diffusion of Military Power, Michael Horowitz explains how and why military innovations are adopted by state and nonstate actors. These insights are particularly valuable at a time of rapid technological, strategic, and organizational change such as we are living through today, and have immediate implications for the balance of power and the international system. Highly recommended."--John A. Nagl, president of the Center for a New American Security and author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife

"This book makes an important contribution to the scholarship on military diffusion and international power. It will be of much interest to scholars of international security, strategic studies, and military affairs. The book's greatest theoretical contribution is its discussion of the systemic consequences of diffusion."--Emily Goldman, United States Central Command

"Horowitz makes an excellent contribution to the international relations literature generally and work on military innovations particularly. His theory has immediate relevance to discussions about the future of American military strategy, and is helpful in understanding the decisions states face in threatening environments. This is a very good book."--Glenn Palmer, Pennsylvania State University


Product Details

  • Paperback: 286 pages
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 069114396X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0691143965
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Horowitz is an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses primarily on international conflict and military innovation. He is also interested in the intersection of religion and international relations, the role of leaders in international politics, and international security issues in East Asia. His first book, The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics, was just published by Princeton University Press. He has held fellowships at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard. His work has been published in International Organization, International Security, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Orbis, the Washington Quarterly, and the Journal of Strategic Studies. He received his PhD in government from Harvard University and his BA in political science from Emory University. He is from Lexington, Massachusetts.

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4.0 out of 5 stars The Diffusion of Military Power April 5, 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is an interesting take on how items or processes that start in the military actually impact our world. Technologies or the process of obtaining the capability to maneuver 10 ships in a carrier group while simultaneously launching aircraft while undergoing underway replenishment, is a tremendous feat. The cogs in the process then lead to the evolution of its use , albeit at a different level, in the civilian world. Television, GPS and other items can take years before they find their way into civilian use but when they do it impacts our world.
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