Choosing War

Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents

Douglas C. Peifer

Provides the only comparative analysis of presidential crisis decision making and naval incidents
Adopts a multidisciplinary approach to bridge the divide between diplomatic/military historians and international relations/security studies scholars
Uses historical case studies to generate questions appropriate to both historical and contemporary naval incidents

Choosing War

Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents

Douglas C. Peifer

Description

China's expanding air and naval capabilities, coupled with the proliferation of long-range anti-ship and anti-air missile systems, are making US naval diplomacy an increasingly risky enterprise. It is surprising therefore how little attention has been devoted to comparing the way in which different administrations have reacted in dissimilar manners to major naval incidents. This book provides the first comparative analysis of multiple cases. In particular, it examines three incidents: the Maine incident (1898), which led to war in the short term; the Lusitania crisis (1915), which set the trajectory for intervention; and the Panay incident (1937), which was settled diplomatically.

After scrutinizing these incidents and the domestic and international factors shaping the subsequent crisis, Douglas Carl Peifer analyses the presidential decision making in terms of options considered and policies selected. The book draws upon international relations and coercion theory but emphasizes the importance of context, complexity, and contingency when assessing presidential decision making. The contemporary tensions in East Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Baltic, and the Black Sea are increasingly vexing US naval diplomacy. By analyzing how Presidents William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt responded to the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay incidents, this book provides an essential instrument to deal with the growing threats of a new naval crisis.

Choosing War

Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents

Douglas C. Peifer

Choosing War

Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents

Douglas C. Peifer

Author Information

Douglas C. Peifer, Professor of Strategy, US Air War College

Douglas C. Peifer is department chair and professor of strategy in the US Air War College's Department of Strategy in Montgomery, Alabama. He holds a Ph.D. in modern history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His primary field of research is modern diplomatic and military history, with a special interest in the nexus between strategy, history, international politics, and culture.

Choosing War

Presidential Decisions in the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay Incidents

Douglas C. Peifer

Reviews and Awards

"[A]n excellent example of how historically informed comparative analysis can create a framework for our understanding of the uses of force and war-making... The gripping prose style and narrative detail in each episode are impressive.[O]ne can only hope—likely in vain—that current policymakers will read this excellent study." - Stephen R. Ortiz, Passport

"This work is very valuable to aspiring historians in its discussion of the uses of history... With at-sea incidents between U.S. and Iranian and Chinese ships on the rise, this book should be required reading for policymakers and national security professionals alike." - Robert M. Brown, Military Review

"Choosing War is an excellent dissection of the decisions made by American presidents in the wake of the Maine, Lusitania, and Panay incidents. Choosing War, in great detail, shows that naval incidents are very often a precursor to greater conflicts on land, on sea, and in the air.... It is a unique book that is written clearly enough to serve as popular history, yet Choosing War will also serve as a great reference to American military figures, geopolitical strategists, and their publicly elected leaders." - Larry Provost, MCU Journal

"Peifer's insightful analysis in Choosing War is as useful as it is timely.... Peifer makes a unique contribution to our understanding of how an American administration makes that most important of decisions—whether or not to go to war. Students of diplomatic, naval, and military history and those interested in the national security decision-making process will find Choosing War a valuable endeavor and a worthwhile addition to their professional libraries. Well researched and with extensive notes, Choosing War hits the mark." - Mark Montesclaros, H-War