Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security

The Illusion of International Prestige

    Author:
  • Jonathan Mercer
| Spring 2017

Summary

Most policymakers and international relations scholars believe that prestige enhances states’ authority and that states therefore seek prestige. This belief is wrong. Policymakers rely on their feelings of pride and shame about their state to evaluate its prestige rather than analyzing other states’ views. Further, policymakers discount other states’ prestige. States should therefore avoid costly policies designed to enhance their prestige. Evidence from the South African (Boer) War supports these findings.

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For Academic Citation:

Jonathan Mercer, "The Illusion of International Prestige," International Security, Vol. 41, No. 4 (Spring 2017), pp. 133–168.

The Author

Jonathan Mercer

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