-[I]t will interest many psychologists (particularly psychologists who are interested in history and politics). Renshon provides an interesting analysis of the choices for and against preventive war and places these events within important historical contexts. Furthermore, he helps the reader appreciate the difficult decisions world leaders face when responding to adversarial actions by other countries....[w]orth reading. —PsycCritiques

-Renshon's analysis is sure to capture the attention of policymakers, scholars, and students alike (including my own undergraduate honors students, among whom the book inspired lively debate), and makes a strong contribution to security studies and to political psychology....I strongly and wholeheartedly recommend Why Leaders Choose War: The Psychology of Prevention, as is fosters critical thought and contributes to theory building by placing leaders front and center in explaining why countries make the consequential decisions to advocate or to oppose preventive war or preventive strikes. An engaging read for a variety of different audiences. —Political Science Quarterly

-Jonathan Renshon's purpose in this engaging and useful book is to help us better understand the conditions under which leaders well resort to preventive military action. Correctly noting that this is an understudied yet important question, Renshon methodically sets out to point us in the direction of answers....The case studies are clearly written, well-researched, and efficient. Indeed, readers interested only in the cases themselves will find them very useful as capsule histories....[h]e sets out merely to take the first steps down the road to a comprehensive theory. This he has certainly done. May the journey continue. —Political Psychology