"…makes a useful … contribution to the civil–military relations literature." — Perspectives on Politics"…straddles civil-military relations, organization theory, and international relations, presenting counter-intuitive ideas on the relationship between civil-military relations and conflict and, for that reason, is well worth reading." — Political Science Quarterly"Belkin addresses an underexplained source of international conflict and does a persuasive job of turning widely accepted truisms on their heads. His basic argument is important, clearly presented, and well supported." — Paul N. Stockton, coeditor of Reconstituting America's Defense: The New U.S. National Security Strategy"United We Stand? presents a novel, intriguing argument about how states' civil-military relations affect their international relations." — Risa Brooks, author of Political-Military Relations and the Stability of Arab Regimes