Michael Horowitz Explores "Why Leaders Fight"

In his new book Why Leaders Fight, Michael Horowitz, an associate professor of political science, proposes a theory about how a leader’s decisions about war, peace, and risk propensity are influenced by individual background.

Co-authored by Allan C. Stam, the dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, and Cali M. Ellis, a Ph.D. candidate in public policy and political science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the book compiles the biographies of more than 2,500 famous leaders from around the world who were in power between 1875 and 2001. It explores the military, family, occupational, and educational backgrounds of people such as Fidel Castro, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Ho Chi Minh, and Winston Churchill to help explain their tendencies to initiate military aggression.

“These leaders, who had the positive socialization of military experience but without facing the risk of death, were very conflict-prone in office,” says Horowitz.

Read the full article here.