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An inviting and challenging read, one that necessitates and rewards thoughtful investment. ---Dr. Larry D. Miller, National Defense University Press A welcome mingling of the traditions of quantitative and qualitative political science. He sets a rigorous and imaginative methodological standard that others will struggle to match. ---Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs An extraordinary achievement, providing new ideas about the non-material determinants of battlefield performance, and presenting compelling quantitative and qualitative evidence. It will no doubt shape research agendas on war for many years to come. * Journal of Peace Research * 2019 War on the Rocks Holiday Reading List

Ambitious in scope, Divided Armies offers a new theory for an important subject: battlefield military effectiveness in conventional wars from the 1800s to the present. Marshaling an impressive array of empirical evidence to support his arguments, Lyall addresses a topic that will interest policymakers, scholars, and readers from a variety of disciplines. -Jasen J. Castillo, Texas A&M University In Divided Armies, Lyall's argument about the link between military inequality and military effectiveness is smart and novel. The data gathering is extremely impressive, as is the care given to the qualitative and quantitative assessments. I highly recommend it. -Michael C. Horowitz, University of Pennsylvania Inequality can prove dangerous for the battlefield fate of armies. Lyall, in this smart and timely book, warns us all that the divisions within a community are reflected in the divisions within the armies that represent them-with devastating costs. A critical read for policymakers and scholars alike. -General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal Based on assiduous archival, autobiographical, and historiographic research along with a newly created comprehensive dataset of all conventionally fought wars since 1800, this brilliant page-turner will delight aficionados of military history and open new paths for experts seeking to uncover the correlates of warfare. Lyall's simple but powerful thesis-ethnic discrimination among units comprising a belligerent army leads to battlefield failure-is original and compelling. -David D. Laitin, Stanford University Lyall's important work arrays data from 250 wars since 1800 to prove systematically what Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower described: that the political compact between a country and its fighting forces is a major determinant in warfare. This beautifully written book brilliantly blends quantitative and qualitative methods to show that what states choose to do about status and belonging-about political identity-before wars decisively affects their forces' ability to persevere in combat. -Kori Schake, International Institute for Strategic Studies

2019 War on the Rocks Holiday Reading List

Based on assiduous archival, autobiographical, and historiographic research along with a newly created comprehensive dataset of all conventionally fought wars since 1800, this brilliant page-turner will delight aficionados of military history and open new paths for experts seeking to uncover the correlates of warfare. Lyall's simple but powerful thesis-ethnic discrimination among units comprising a belligerent army leads to battlefield failure-is original and compelling. -David D. Laitin, Stanford University In Divided Armies, Lyall's argument about the link between military inequality and military effectiveness is smart and novel. The data gathering is extremely impressive, as is the care given to the qualitative and quantitative assessments. I highly recommend it. -Michael C. Horowitz, University of Pennsylvania Lyall's important work arrays data from 250 wars since 1800 to prove systematically what Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower described: that the political compact between a country and its fighting forces is a major determinant in warfare. This beautifully written book brilliantly blends quantitative and qualitative methods to show that what states choose to do about status and belonging-about political identity-before wars decisively affects their forces' ability to persevere in combat. -Kori Schake, International Institute for Strategic Studies Ambitious in scope, Divided Armies offers a new theory for an important subject: battlefield military effectiveness in conventional wars from the 1800s to the present. Marshaling an impressive array of empirical evidence to support his arguments, Lyall addresses a topic that will interest policymakers, scholars, and readers from a variety of disciplines. -Jasen J. Castillo, Texas A&M University Inequality can prove dangerous for the battlefield fate of armies. Lyall, in this smart and timely book, warns us all that the divisions within a community are reflected in the divisions within the armies that represent them-with devastating costs. A critical read for policymakers and scholars alike. -General (Ret.) Stanley McChrystal

Author Information

Jason Lyall is the James Wright Associate Professor in Transnational Studies and associate professor of government at Dartmouth College, where he also directs the Political Violence FieldLab.

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