'… Walter shows that much of the answer lies in whether a state is faced with multiple potential challenges and therefore has to defend its reputation for holding firm. Rarely has such an important puzzle been so well explained.' Robert Jervis, Columbia University
'Barbara Walter strikes again! Her first book altered our thinking and our policies about civil war termination, showing that separating armies in civil wars incurs commitment problems that make these wars more difficult to end than interstate wars. This book, her second major work on civil wars, is equally stunning. Relying on theory, case studies, statistical and experimental analysis, it shows how reputation problems lead highly fragmented states to be more bellicose in the face of separatist rebellion that less fragmented states. Once again, Walter's work will impress academics and reframe public policy.' David D. Laitin, Stanford University
'… Barbara Walter makes an important contribution to debates in international relations as well as to the study of civil war.' Robert O. Keohane, Princeton University
'… the value of this book is the recognition of the importance of including future parties and future stakes in the models of bargaining and civil war. … [It] … provides an excellent study showing that when governments are facing movements seeking autonomy, they make strategic decision and invest in reputation-building.' International Affairs