Speaker: Olivier Schmitt, Southern Denmark University
Discussant: Erin Simpson, Northrup Grumman
Chair: Joe Maiolo, King’s College London

What qualities make an ally useful in coalition warfare, and when is an ally more trouble than it's worth? Allies That Count (Georgetown UP, 2018) analyzes the utility of junior partners in coalition warfare and reaches surprising conclusions. In this volume, Olivier Schmitt presents detailed case-study analysis of several US allies in the Gulf War, the Kosovo campaign, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. He also includes a broader comparative analysis of 204 junior partners in various interventions since the end of the Cold War. This analysis bridges a gap in previous studies about coalition warfare, while also contributing to policy debates about a recurring defense dilemma. Schmitt determines which political and military variables are more likely to create utility, and he challenges the conventional wisdom about the supposed benefit of having as many states as possible in a coalition.