Reliability and Alliance Interdependence:
The United States and Its Allies in Asia, 1949-1969
My first book, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence, proposes and tests a new theory of how alliance commitments are interdependent. I argue that deterrence and alliance theorists, as well as scholars sceptical of reputation, have incorrectly focussed on the idea of a loyalty reputation. Arguing against the conventional wisdom, I show that states do not always want their ally to display a character trait of unalloyed loyalty.
After outlining the theory, I test it against five case studies drawn from the first half of the Cold War in Asia. To inform my research, I conducted extensive archival research in the United States. I collected thousands of documents from the National Archives and Records Administration (College Park, Maryland), the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library (Abilene, Kansas), the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library (Boston, Massachusetts), the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library (Yorba Linda, California) and the Seeley G. Mudd Library (Princeton, New Jersey). Thus, the book advances both our understanding of alliance politics, and also our knowledge of how the U.S. and its allies in Asia interacted during the first half of the Cold War.
I am thrilled that the book has been published in the Cornell Studies on Security Affairs series, which is home to so many outstanding books on alliance politics. Thanks to generous financial support from the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the e-book is free. It is available in both the Apple Books and Kindle format, as well as a simple PDF.
Praise for the book
"Well written and important, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence combines substantial archival research with sophisticated theoretical and empirical analysis of small-power entrapment concerns. By focusing on alliance interdependence affecting both dependent states and great powers, Iain Henry sheds light on key issues in security studies."
- Robert S. Ross, Boston College, author of Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power and Politics
"Hawks urge the United States to embark on—or stay in—costly wars, claiming that a US reputation for loyalty is essential for maintaining American alliances across the globe. In this terrific book, Iain D. Henry challenges this view, arguing that an ally's credibility depends largely on shared interests."
- Jennifer Lind, Dartmouth College, author of Sorry States: Apologies in International Relations
"This is an important book. Assumptions that the fate of the United States hinges on US loyalty to every ally in every context leads the United States to overextend itself in peace and to fight catastrophic wars. Reliability and Alliance Interdependence is international relations research at its best: it contains compelling theory, strong evidence, and prescriptions that, if heeded, could steer the United States towards a more prudent foreign policy."
- Rachel Tecott Metz, George Washington University
"Reliability and Alliance Interdependence marks an important turning point in the study of international relations in Asia…in order to understand alliances scholars must return to the kind of approach Henry provides, combining deep historical inquiry with theoretical context and methodological rigor."
- Michael J. Green, University of Sydney, author of By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783
"Despite sustained scholarly attention to the subject of reputation, Iain Henry’s Reliability and Alliance Interdependence still finds a way to make a powerful contribution…In reframing the debate around reputation in international relations from a focus on loyalty and credibility to one on reliability, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence not only invites scholars and policymakers to rethink reputation, but also pushes forward the study of alliance politics. The book is essential reading for those interested in either field of study."
- Brian Blankenship, University of Miami, author of The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics
This book "makes a significant contribution to the debates on alliances that will appeal to international relations scholars, area studies specialists, and policy practitioners....[it] sheds new light on alliance theory, US foreign policy, and Asian regional security and provides scholars with a more nuanced conceptual toolkit with which to examine alliance dynamics."
- Kristi Govella, Oxford University, author of Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe and the United States
The United States and Its Allies in Asia, 1949-1969
My first book, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence, proposes and tests a new theory of how alliance commitments are interdependent. I argue that deterrence and alliance theorists, as well as scholars sceptical of reputation, have incorrectly focussed on the idea of a loyalty reputation. Arguing against the conventional wisdom, I show that states do not always want their ally to display a character trait of unalloyed loyalty.
After outlining the theory, I test it against five case studies drawn from the first half of the Cold War in Asia. To inform my research, I conducted extensive archival research in the United States. I collected thousands of documents from the National Archives and Records Administration (College Park, Maryland), the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library (Abilene, Kansas), the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library (Boston, Massachusetts), the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library (Yorba Linda, California) and the Seeley G. Mudd Library (Princeton, New Jersey). Thus, the book advances both our understanding of alliance politics, and also our knowledge of how the U.S. and its allies in Asia interacted during the first half of the Cold War.
I am thrilled that the book has been published in the Cornell Studies on Security Affairs series, which is home to so many outstanding books on alliance politics. Thanks to generous financial support from the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the e-book is free. It is available in both the Apple Books and Kindle format, as well as a simple PDF.
Praise for the book
"Well written and important, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence combines substantial archival research with sophisticated theoretical and empirical analysis of small-power entrapment concerns. By focusing on alliance interdependence affecting both dependent states and great powers, Iain Henry sheds light on key issues in security studies."
- Robert S. Ross, Boston College, author of Chinese Security Policy: Structure, Power and Politics
"Hawks urge the United States to embark on—or stay in—costly wars, claiming that a US reputation for loyalty is essential for maintaining American alliances across the globe. In this terrific book, Iain D. Henry challenges this view, arguing that an ally's credibility depends largely on shared interests."
- Jennifer Lind, Dartmouth College, author of Sorry States: Apologies in International Relations
"This is an important book. Assumptions that the fate of the United States hinges on US loyalty to every ally in every context leads the United States to overextend itself in peace and to fight catastrophic wars. Reliability and Alliance Interdependence is international relations research at its best: it contains compelling theory, strong evidence, and prescriptions that, if heeded, could steer the United States towards a more prudent foreign policy."
- Rachel Tecott Metz, George Washington University
"Reliability and Alliance Interdependence marks an important turning point in the study of international relations in Asia…in order to understand alliances scholars must return to the kind of approach Henry provides, combining deep historical inquiry with theoretical context and methodological rigor."
- Michael J. Green, University of Sydney, author of By More Than Providence: Grand Strategy and American Power in the Asia Pacific Since 1783
"Despite sustained scholarly attention to the subject of reputation, Iain Henry’s Reliability and Alliance Interdependence still finds a way to make a powerful contribution…In reframing the debate around reputation in international relations from a focus on loyalty and credibility to one on reliability, Reliability and Alliance Interdependence not only invites scholars and policymakers to rethink reputation, but also pushes forward the study of alliance politics. The book is essential reading for those interested in either field of study."
- Brian Blankenship, University of Miami, author of The Burden-Sharing Dilemma: Coercive Diplomacy in US Alliance Politics
This book "makes a significant contribution to the debates on alliances that will appeal to international relations scholars, area studies specialists, and policy practitioners....[it] sheds new light on alliance theory, US foreign policy, and Asian regional security and provides scholars with a more nuanced conceptual toolkit with which to examine alliance dynamics."
- Kristi Govella, Oxford University, author of Linking Trade and Security: Evolving Institutions and Strategies in Asia, Europe and the United States
