“Innovative, interesting, and important. Leo J. Blanken speaks to one of the oldest issues in international relations—the source of imperial behavior—and does so with a novel and well-written argument that is embedded in a very popular emerging school of research. Rational Empires will be seen as a model of how to employ some of the latest developments in the rational choice literature to international politics.”

David M. Edelstein, Georgetown University

“In Rational Empires, Leo J. Blanken develops an intriguing and innovative theoretical framework that sets his work apart from both the realist and constructivist accounts of imperialism. Through a series of well-supported and interesting applications of this framework, Blanken makes a substantial contribution toward rational modeling of theories of imperialism that will appeal to those interested in international history and relations, institutions, and rational choice.”

Colin Dueck, George Mason University

“In this fascinating and accessible book, Leo J. Blanken blends game theory and historical analysis with economic, legal, and conflict theories to explain long-recognized puzzles in the history of imperialism. Rational Empires is both a good read and a major analytical work that will be of interest to those who study imperialism, property rights, institutions, and conflict.”

Scott Sigmund Gartner, Pennsylvania State University

"What were the economic and geopolitical forces that led great powers to build empires and colonize distant peoples? And why did those empires later give way to movements for independence and self-determination? This provocative book by a young political scientist advances a rationalist theory of imperialism that sees all states as ’revenue maximizers.’ Leo J. Blanken argues that closed, autocratic states are more likely to engage in territorial conquests than open, representative regimes, because they are less likely to see the virtues of free trade or uphold international rules and institutions."

G. John Ikenberry | Foreign Affairs

“Leo J. Blanken applies strategic logic to the broadest historical sweeps of formal imperialism, arguing that institutional features of the ‘target region’ and of the relevant imperial powers interact to determine the target region’s fate. . . . Recommended.”

Choice

“Like many compelling detective stories, Rational Empires begins with an interesting empirical puzzle: why, during the latter half of the nineteenth century, did Great Britain, a liberal democratic state, pursue empire with increasing vigor counter to prevailing social, political, and economic theories? . . . [The book] is an ingenious attempt to explain the anomaly and place it and other patterns of imperialist activity into a rigorous theoretical context.”

Global Discourse