Why do some leaders stay in wars they are unlikely to win? Why do other leaders give in to their adversaries' demands when continued fighting is still possible? Peace at What Price? strives to answer these questions by offering a new theoretical concept: leader culpability. Culpable leaders - those who can be credibly linked to the decision to involve the state in the war - face a significantly higher likelihood of domestic punishment if they fail to win a war than non-culpable leaders who do the same. Consequently, culpable leaders will prosecute wars very differently from their non-culpable counterparts. Utilizing a large-N analysis and case illustrations, the book's findings challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the relationship between war outcomes and leader removal and demonstrate the necessity of looking at individual leader attributes, instead of collapsing leaders by regime type. The book also offers new insights on democracies at war and speaks to the American experience in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'Dr Sarah Croco’s Peace at What Price? makes a highly valuable contribution toward our understanding of the relationships between leadership, domestic politics and war. In particular, the book sheds light on the timely topic of how democracies can exit enduring wars, pushing older ideas emerging from the democratic peace in new and exciting directions. Scholars will find the book’s rigorous theory and careful empirics impressive and persuasive, and students will find the book’s clear and engaging prose illuminating and intriguing.'

Dan Reiter - Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Political Science, Emory University

'Peace at What Price? identifies a vital, and previously missing, part of the wartime politics process: culpability - why some leaders are held accountable for a war while others get a political pass. With a rich and nuanced theory, a variety of innovative and rigorous methodologies, and a clear and accessible style, Peace at What Price? makes a major contribution to the literatures on national security, international affairs, political behavior and American politics. Few books better tie history, theory and analysis together in a way that has such profound policy implications for today and the future.'

Scott Gartner - Pennsylvania State University

'Peace at What Price? is a fresh, rigorous attempt to understand the puzzling choice that leaders sometimes make - to continue to fight wars they are likely to lose. Blending statistical analysis and historical case studies, this terrific book should be of great interest both to scholars of international relations and to policy makers facing tough decisions about prosecuting and ending protracted wars.'

Elizabeth A. Stanley - Georgetown University, and author of Paths to Peace

'This is a terrific book. Sarah Croco shows that leader culpability is a critical explanation for the decision to prolong wars - even wars that seem destined to fail. Croco employs a range of mixed methods with unusual skill. The writing is crisp and effective. This will be a defining book on the topic for years to come.'

Dominic Tierney - Swarthmore College, and author of Failing to Win: Perceptions of Victory and Defeat in International Politics

'Croco has written an exceptional book. Real insight into the politics of nations combined with first-rate empirical scholarship which throws new light on important questions of war and peace. Croco’s intellectual honesty and depth raise the bar and set an example for the discipline. This is international relations at its finest.'

Henk Goemans - University of Rochester