IICAS PIA and IR/PS ILAR Present:

Michael Horowitz
Assistant Professor of Political Science
University of Pennsylvania

“How Prior Military Experience Influences the Future Militarized
Behavior of Leaders"

Thursday, January 20, 2011
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Social Sciences Building (SSB), Room 107

Register at: http://iicas.ucsd.edu/

As part of a growing body of literature on the role of leaders in international politics, this paper examines the way prior military service by national leaders may influence their behavior once they enter office. Does prior military service, by exposing leaders to the horrors of war, make them more risk averse when they enter office? Or does prior military service, by making the military a more familiar and comfortable institution to the leader, make leaders more likely to use force? This paper utilizes newly gathered data on the background experiences of heads of state from 1869-2004, building on the Archigos dataset. This new data allows us to assess whether it is military service in general that might influence the preferences of future leaders, whether participation in combat itself plays a role, and how prior participation in a rebel group may influence behavior.

Michael Horowitz is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on international conflict, military innovation, the role of leaders, and the intersection of religion and international relations. His first book, The Diffusion of Military Power: Causes and Consequences for International Politics was recently published by Princeton University Press. His work has been published in International Organization, International Security, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, and elsewhere. He received his PhD in government from Harvard University and his BA in political science from Emory University.

Event questions: iicas-events@ucsd.edu

The IICAS PIA and IR/PS ILAR 2010-2011 Joint Speaker Series at UC San Diego is sponsored by the Project on International Affairs (PIA) at the Institute for International, Comparative, and Area Studies (IICAS), and the International Law and Regulation Laboratory (ILAR) at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS).