This book asks why weaker powers so often engage in wars against stronger opponents. It examines six cases where this occurred in this century, including the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. The key argument of deterrence theory is that the military superiority of a relatively strong power, coupled with a credible retaliatory threat, will prevent attack by challengers. This book seriously challenges this assumption, and has wide implications for the study of war, deterrence, diplomacy and strategy.

Two highly regarded scholars come together to examine India's relationship with the world's major powers and its own search for a significant role in the international system. Central to the argument is Indiaas belief that the acquisition of an independent nuclear capability is key to obtaining such status. The book details the major constraints at the international, domestic and perceptual levels that India has faced in this endeavor. It concludes, through a detailed comparison of India's power capabilities, that India is indeed a rising power, but that significant systemic and domestic...

In this volume distinguished scholars from different social science disciplines assess the emerging international order. The volume's three sections examine theories and strategies of order; the prospects of the major likely contenders for world leadership (the United States, Russia, China, the European Union, Japan and India); and the challenges to world order, including globalization, nationalism, ethnic and religious conflict, environmental degradation, and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. This book thus offers a comprehensive account of the prospects for a peaceful and just...

In this volume distinguished scholars from different social science disciplines assess the emerging international order. The volume's three sections examine theories and strategies of order; the prospects of the major likely contenders for world leadership (the United States, Russia, China, the European Union, Japan and India); and the challenges to world order, including globalization, nationalism, ethnic and religious conflict, environmental degradation, and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. This book thus offers a comprehensive account of the prospects for a peaceful and just...