International regimes are "codes of conduct" agreed upon by states to govern their relations in specific areas of international politics. This book describes and critically examines the three most important theories of international regimes. These theories each stress a particular explanatory variable: realist theories emphasize state power; neoliberal theories focus on constellations of interests; and cognitivist theories are concerned with knowledge and ideas. The authors conclude by exploring the prospects for progress within this dynamic field by combining different theoretical...

Nations at War provides a scientifically-derived explanation of war. It develops this explanation by reviewing data-based studies of international conflict, analyzing war from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries, and identifying factors such as geography, regimes, military capabilities, alliances, and trade associated with both the onset and destructiveness of these conflicts. Two wars (the Iran/Iraq war of 1980, and World War I) are examined in detail in an effort to show how wars begin and sometimes expand to include other states. This unique book collates and synthesizes the findings...

This book argues that community can exist at the international level, and that states dwelling within an international community have the capacity to develop a pacific disposition. The contributors provide an exhaustive regional and historical survey of places where states have come to expect peace, where they are working to foster such expectations, and where peace is hoped for rather than expected. This volume is an important contribution to international relations theory and security studies, providing a new vision of the possibilities for peaceful relations among states.

Secessionist activity has been increasing in the developing world, in Western liberal democracies, and especially in the former Communist states of Eastern Europe. This timely book offers a general explanation for the occurrence of the phenomenon, arising from a comparative study of numerous historical examples of secession and separatist conflict. The book develops a comprehensive framework, specifying the elements necessary for a secession crisis, and discussing the moral issues underpinning it.

The study of security has been dominated for four decades by a scientific perspective that has been under attack since the end of the Cold War. In this book, Bill McSweeney discusses the inadequacy of this approach and criticizes the most recent attempts to surmount it. Drawing on contemporary trends in sociology, he develops a theory of the international order within which the idea of security takes on a broader range of meaning, inviting a more interpretive approach to understanding the concept and formulating security policy.

This book examines a wide range of dissident practices, from street protests to political poetry, in an attempt to demonstrate that they are becoming an increasingly important aspect of global politics. The author draws on several case studies, including an analysis of the events that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The theoretical discussions focus on how people influence the course of politics at a time when boundaries between domestic and international spheres are blurring.

This book examines a wide range of dissident practices, from street protests to political poetry, in an attempt to demonstrate that they are becoming an increasingly important aspect of global politics. The author draws on several case studies, including an analysis of the events that led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The theoretical discussions focus on how people influence the course of politics at a time when boundaries between domestic and international spheres are blurring.

This book provides the first general analysis of deterrence since the end of the Cold War, offering a new approach to its assumptions, and analyzing them using non-cooperative game theory. Drawing on numerous historical examples, the authors focus on the relationship among capability, preferences, credibility, and outcomes to achieve a new understanding of threats and responses. The book's distinctive approach yields some surprising conclusions, indicating that credible threats to respond to attack can sometimes make an attack more likely, and that incredible response threats can sometimes...

Schultz explores the effects of democratic politics on coercive diplomacy. He argues that open political competition between government and opposition parties influences threats in international crises, how rival states interpret those threats, and whether or not crises can be settled short of war. Compared to their nondemocratic counterparts, democracies make threats more selectively, but those they do make are more likely to be successful--that is, to gain a favorable outcome without war. Schultz uses game-theoretic models and tests the resulting hypothesis using both statistical analyses...

It is commonly said that democracies very seldom fight each other. This book asks whether the assumption of a "democratic peace" is valid and seeks to explain why. Explanations explored include the accountability of democratic leaders to domestic institutions; the norms of democratic competition which influence international affairs; and the common interests which democracies have pursued.