Why do political actors willingly give up sovereignty to another state, or choose to resist, sometimes to the point of violence? Jesse Dillon Savage demonstrates the role that domestic politics plays in the formation of international hierarchies, and shows that when there are high levels of rent-seeking and political competition within the subordinate state, elites within this state become more prepared to accept hierarchy. In such an environment, members of society at large are also more likely to support the surrender of sovereignty. Empirically rich, the book adopts a comparative historical approach with an emphasis on Russian attempts to establish hierarchy in post-Soviet space, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine. This emphasis on post-Soviet hierarchy is complemented by a cross-national statistical study of hierarchy in the post WWII era, and three historical case studies examining European informal empire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

‘Political Survival and Sovereignty in International Relations presents an innovative, sophisticated and engaging multi-method take on the creation and endurance of international hierarchy. The book sets out and resolves the key puzzle of why subordinates defer to superiors, even to the point of surrendering sovereignty, finding the answer in domestic politics.'

Jason Sharman - University of Cambridge

'While most understandings of international hierarchy privilege the importance of great power strategy and competition, Savage’s book convincingly shows how local actors, for the right bargain, willingly cede their sovereign rights to patrons in exchange for lucrative private rent-seeking opportunities. Political Survival and Sovereignty in International Relations uncovers the neglected ordering dynamics that actually undergird hierarchies, highlighting the ground-level incentives, strategic interactions and domestic arrangements that inform major conflicts in the post-Soviet space and provide important new explanations for the stability and breakdown of landmark cases of informal empire in global history.'

Alexander Cooley - Harriman Institute, Columbia University

'In recent years, scholars of international relations have rediscovered the fact that all states are sovereign, but some are more sovereign than others. Now, it isn’t all that surprising that powerful states seek to dominate weaker ones. But why do some leaders of subordinated states cheerfully accept, and even welcome, their loss of practical authority? Using multiple methods to examine both contemporary and historical cases of 'informal empire', Jesse Dillon Savage brings domestic politics back into the story. Corrupt and kleptocratic regimes - as well as ones that rely on the legal extraction of rents - give up sovereignty to external powers in order to protect their continued self-enrichment. Savage’s account is compelling, persuasive, and highly relevant to contemporary global politics. Two thumbs up.'

Dan Nexon - Georgetown University