The Art of Coercion: Credible Threats and the Assurance Dilemma

The Art of Coercion presents a fresh explanation for the success--and failure--of coercive demands in international politics.

Strong states are surprisingly bad at coercion. History shows they prevail only a third of the time. Reid B. C. Pauly argues that coercion often fails because targets fear punishment even if they comply. In this ＂damned if you do, damned if you don’t＂ scenario, targets have little reason to obey.

Pauly illustrates this logic in nuclear counterproliferation efforts with South Africa, Iraq, Libya, and Iran. He shows that coercers face an ＂assurance dilemma＂ When threats are more credible, assurances not to punish are less so. But without credible assurances, targets may defy threats, bracing for seemingly inevitable punishment. For coercion to work, as such, coercers must not only make targets believe that they will be punished if they do not comply, but also that they will not be if they do.

Packed with insights for any foreign policy challenge involving coercive strategies, The Art of Coercion crucially corrects assumptions that tougher threats alone achieve results.

Reid B. C. Pauly is Assistant Professor of Political Science and the Dean’s Assistant Professor of Nuclear Security and Policy at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.