I joined @nktpnd.bsky.social on his @warontherocks.bsky.social podcast “Thinking the Unthinkable” to talk about my new book: The Art of Coercion.

And here’s the book (the ebook is free!):
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

I spoke with Brown’s Trending Globally podcast about my new book, “The Art of Coercion”

player.captivate.fm/episode/f84b...

My @brownupolisci.bsky.social colleagues in IR are having an amazing run of book publishing this summer. Quick thread to celebrate them (1/6) First up, @reidpauly.bsky.social book on the surprisingly tricky task of international coercion

www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

I just received my first copy of the book!

Why do strong states so often fail to bend rivals to their will?

@reidpauly.bsky.social’s new book, The Art of Coercion, reveals the missing piece: threats only work if paired with credible assurances.

Learn more:

The book:
www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

I spoke with @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social
about my new book: THE ART OF COERCION

Thanks for having me on the podcast!

newbooksnetwork.com/the-art-of-c...

@watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social @brownupolisci.bsky.social ‪
@ssp-mit.bsky.social @dartmouthdickey.bsky.social @stanfordcisac.bsky.social @bridgingthegap.bsky.social

And thank you @intsecurity.bsky.social and @mitpress.bsky.social for making the article version free for the next few months.

direct.mit.edu/isec/article...

Thank you to all of the mentors and friends who helped me to write this book. Thank you to @cornellupress.bsky.social for believing in these ideas. Thank you to the Stanton Foundation for making the ebook free!

This simple idea has profound implications. The actions we take to bolster our threats can undermine our assurances, making unnecessary violence more likely.

And it matters whenever and wherever governments practice coercion—compellence or deterrence.

🚨 It’s publication day!

THE ART OF COERCION is finally out.

When do threats work? When they are perceived as credibly *conditional*. Credible and painful punishments are not enough.

Threats fail if targets feel “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”

shorturl.at/qa4T5

Assurances are integral to the logic of deterrence (and coercion more broadly). They clarify the choice: war or peace. Preventing a war over Taiwan requires that we get this right and pair threats with assurance. Thanks @bglaser.bsky.social Jessica Chen Weiss and Tom Christensen for the shout-out 🙏.