This book shows how to predict wars. More specifically, it tells us how to anticipate in a timely fashion the scope and extent of interstate conflict. By focusing on how all governments - democratic or not - seek to secure public support before undertaking risky moves such as starting a war, Getting to War provides a methodology for identifying a regime's intention to launch a conflict well in advance of the actual initiation. Getting to War will be of value to political scientists interested in international disputes and national security studies as well as social scientists interested in media studies and political communication. The statistical analysis is rigorous, but presented in an accessible fashion, making this book appropriate for advanced undergraduates as well as the traditional academic audience. General readers with an interest in military or diplomatic history - particularly U.S. history - will find that Getting to War provides an entirely new perspective on how to understand wars and international crises.