Divided Armies

Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War

Jason Lyall

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Press
11 February 2020

Political science & theory; Geopolitics; Theory of warfare & military science; Defence strategy, planning & research

Series: Princeton Studies in International History and Politics

How do armies fight and what makes them victorious on the modern battlefield? In Divided Armies, Jason Lyall challenges long-standing answers to this classic question by linking the fate of armies to their levels of inequality. Introducing the concept of military inequality, Lyall demonstrates how a state's prewar choices about the citizenship status of ethnic groups within its population determine subsequent battlefield performance. Treating certain ethnic groups as second-class citizens, either by subjecting them to state-sanctioned discrimination or, worse, violence, undermines interethnic trust, fuels grievances, and leads victimized soldiers to subvert military authorities once war begins. The higher an army's inequality, Lyall finds, the greater its rates of desertion, side-switching, casualties, and use of coercion to force soldiers to fight.

In a sweeping historical investigation, Lyall draws on Project Mars, a new dataset of 250 conventional wars fought since 1800, to test this argument. Project Mars breaks with prior efforts by including overlooked non-Western wars while cataloguing new patterns of inequality and wartime conduct across hundreds of belligerents. Combining historical comparisons and statistical analysis, Lyall also marshals evidence from nine wars, ranging from the Eastern Fronts of World Wars I and II to less familiar wars in Africa and Central Asia, to illustrate inequality's effects.

Sounding the alarm on the dangers of inequality for battlefield performance, Divided Armies offers important lessons about warfare over the past two centuries-and for wars still to come.

By: Jason Lyall
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 165
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780691192437
ISBN 10: 069119243X
Series: Princeton Studies in International History and Politics
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 11 February 2020
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.

Reviews for Divided Armies: Inequality and Battlefield Performance in Modern War

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