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Piecing Together Coalition War: Threat, Politics, and Coalition Structure University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Political Science Political Science 2020 Piecing Together Coalition War: Threat, Politics, and Coalition Structure Stephen Joiner University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2020.246 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Joiner, Stephen, "Piecing Together Coalition War: Threat, Politics, and Coalition Structure" (2020). Theses and Dissertations--Political Science. 31. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/polysci_etds/31 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Political Science at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Political Science by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Stephen Joiner, Student Dr. Dan Morey, Major Professor Dr. Justin Wedeking, Director of Graduate Studies PIECING TOGETHER COALITION WAR: THREAT, POLITICS, AND COALITION STRUCTURE _______________________________________ DISSERTATION ________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Stephen Joiner Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Daniel Morey, Professor of Political Science Lexington, Kentucky 2020 Copyright © Stephen Joiner 2020 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION PIECING TOGETHER COALITION WAR: THREAT, POLITICS, AND COALITION STRUCTURE Military coalitions are both a common feature of interstate warfare and an example of the highest level of cooperation between states. Despite their tremendous importance in international relations, military coalitions remain poorly understood. This project investigates critical questions related to coalition structures, and uses quantitative and qualitative methods to show that both the threat and political opportunity facing coalitions helps to determine the shape of their structures. This project utilizes a dataset of all coalition wars since 1816, as well as case studies of six coalitions to investigate these relationships. Key contributions include novel theoretical arguments and the findings that political opportunity is the most significant determinant of coalition size and that both conflict stakes and regime type play a significant role in determining the organization of coalition command structures. KEYWORDS: Military coalitions, command structure, coalition size, coalition contributions, interstate war Stephen Joiner 2/13/2020 Date PIECING TOGETHER COALITION WAR: THREAT, POLITICS, AND COALITION STRUCTURE By Stephen Joiner Daniel Morey Director of Dissertation Justin Wedeking Director of Graduate Studies 2/13/2020 Date DEDICATION To my teachers and those who helped me along the way ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following dissertation, while an individual work, benefited from the insights and direction of several people. First, my Dissertation Chair, Dr. Daniel Morey, who provided countless edits and feedback at every step of this long process and was extraordinarily patient with me. In addition, Dr. Jesse Johnson provided guidance, mentorship, and assistance from the beginning of my graduate career to the navigation of the job market. Next, I wish to thank the complete Dissertation Committee, and outside reader, respectively:, Dr. Emily Beaulieu Bacchus, Dr. Jesse Johnson, Dr. Daniel Morey, Dr. Clayton Thyne, Dr. Mark Whitaker, and Dr. Walter Ferrier. Each individual provided insights that guided and challenged my thinking, substantially improving the finished product. My other professors, including Dr. Tiffany Barnes, Dr. Ray Block, Dr. Jill Haglund, Dr. Mark Peffly, Dr. Ellen Riggle, Dr. Richard Waterman, and Dr. Justin Wedeking also provided instruction and advice along the way, and I am deeply grateful for their help. A special thanks to Dr. Amy Edmonds, who first introduced me to political science and encouraged me to pursue graduate education. I would not be here without you! In addition to academic and research support, I received equally important assistance from family and friends. My wife, Brittany Joiner, supported me throughout the dissertation process and helped me through the most difficult times. I am so incredibly thankful for her. My family, including my parents Steve and Christie, and my brother Jayden, were also key to my success. Thanks so much for all of the love and support. My friends, especially Maverick, Logan, the Joshes, Ian, Tony, and Ben continue to be the best. Finally, I wish to thank Milligan University, the University of Kentucky, and now iii Carson-Newman University for the education and opportunities these institutions have provided me over the last decade. I owe my career in academia to the many wonderful people employed by these institutions and the selfless investment of so many who gave to me their time, attention, and advice. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1 An Introduction to Coalitions.........................................................................1 1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 What are coalitions? ............................................................................................... 2 1.3 What do we know about coalitions? ....................................................................... 5 1.4 Important questions to consider.............................................................................. 6 1.5 The plan for this project .......................................................................................... 8 9 CHAPTER 2 A Theory of Coalition Structures.................................................................. 2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Defining Coalitions ............................................................................................... 10 2.3 Coalition Structures .............................................................................................. 11 2.4 Coalition Politics .................................................................................................. 19 2.5 Politics and Coalitions .......................................................................................... 27 2.6 Threat, Politics, and Coalition Membership......................................................... 31 2.7 Threat, Politics, and Command Structure ............................................................ 37 2.8 Threat, Politics, and Coalition Member Contributions ........................................ 50 2.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 3 Military Coalitions and Membership Size................................................... 55 3.1 Chapter Introduction ............................................................................................ 55 3.2 Theoretical Argument ........................................................................................... 55 3.3 Research Design ................................................................................................... 64 3.3.1 Quantitative Analysis Design ....................................................................... 64 3.3.2 Qualitative Analysis Design ......................................................................... 73 v 3.4 Quantitative Results .............................................................................................
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