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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Political Science

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Publications and Research

2018

Interstate war

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Which Wars Spread? Commitment Problems And Military Intervention, Zachary C. Shirkey Apr 2018

Which Wars Spread? Commitment Problems And Military Intervention, Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

This article argues that wars caused by commitment problems are more likely to experience outside military intervention than are wars with other causes. Wars caused by commitment problems are more likely to draw in outside states because they tend to be more severe and produce larger war aims. These larger stakes create both threats and opportunities for non-belligerent states thereby prompting military intervention. The greater stakes also generate incentives for belligerent states to seek outside aid. This relationship between commitment problems and intervention implies that while certain types of wars may be more likely to experience intervention, the same causes …


Introduction: The Puzzle Of War Duration, Zachary C. Shirkey Mar 2018

Introduction: The Puzzle Of War Duration, Zachary C. Shirkey

Publications and Research

Why do wars last as long as they do? Why do some rage for years, while others last only a few months or days? This piece introduces a symposium that addresses that question from rationalist, psychological, neurological, and domestic politics perspectives. The symposium also considers the challenges of researching war duration and the implications of understanding war duration on theories of war in general.