[Soodang Security Studies Colloquium #10] Moderation than Strength: Why States Back Down and ‘Weaken’ their Reputation for Resolve during Crises

• Date and Time: July 16, 2021 / 5PM

• Presenter: Dong Jun Park (Korea University)

• Discussant: Hun Jun Kim (Korea University)

• Organized by: Peace & Democracy Institute, Department of Political Science and International Relations

 

On July 16, 2021, Korea University’s Peace & Democracy held the 10th Soodang Security Colloquium.

Dr. Park of Korea University participated as a presenter and Professor Kim of Korea University participated as a debater.

At Colloquium, Dr. Park released the draft <Killing to Rule: The Prospects of Victory and Violence During the Korean War>.  Policymakers usually act to maintain a strong reputation for their actions to deter enemies and increase the credibility of the threats they pose. Since this strong reputation also affects repeated conflicts and challenges in future crises, leaders try to maintain a strong attitude in crisis situations based on a strong belief that maintaining a strong reputation is useful.  In reality, however, countries and leaders are always looking for a strong reputation, not just a strong attitude, but also stepping back at the risk of losing their reputation in times of crisis. Therefore, the author aims to find out why countries choose to make concessions even while paying their reputations in times of crisis.