Forming Battlefield Coalitions: Allied Cooperation during the Boxer Uprising

• In Event: Alliance Politics

Abstract

Under what conditions do coalition partners fighting alongside each other in a war take the next step and field their forces together in battle? We argue that coalition partners require both motive and opportunity to employ their forces side-by-side in combat. More specifically, we contend that coalition partners’ perceptions of the stakes of coming operations and their logistical capacities exert a powerful influence on the creation of battlefield coalitions. Logistical capacity is especially influential. If wartime coalition partners all believe that coming operations are high-stakes wish to deepen their cooperation and employ their forces side-by-side on the battlefield, lacking the capacity to do so will almost certainly preclude them acting on their desire. Conversely, if wartime coalition partners are not aligned in their view of the importance of looming operations, they may still do so if the effort is logistically feasible. We explore our logic through an examination of various successful and unsuccessful Allied attempts to form battlefield coalitions during the Boxer Uprising. Evidence from the cases highlights the powerful influence of logistical capacity in conditioning wartime coalition partners’ decisions to take the next step and form battlefield coalitions.

Authors

• Rosella Cappella Zielinski, Boston University

• Ryan D. Grauer, University of Pittsburgh