Democratic peace theory tends to view democracy in homogeneous terms.
There are theoretically compelling reasons, however, to believe that variations
in democratic institutions and leadership can influence foreign policy outputs.
As executive leadership is most often the center of foreign policy decision-
making, one may logically question the degree to which institutions constrain
leaders. This study investigates how variations in both leadership and
institutions can affect whether democracies pursue conflictual or cooperative
foreign policies. The findings here indicate that leadership, institutions, and
the interaction between these two variables, what I call the leadership/institutions
nexus, play a significant role in shaping the international behaviors of
democracies. This suggests that democratic peace theory would be better
served by interpreting democracy in a more heterogeneous fashion. The book
is designed to assist academics and foreign policy practitioners as well as avid
followers of international relations.