Analyzing Strategic Rivalries In World Politics

Author : William R. Thompson,Kentaro Sakuwa,Prashant Hosur Suhas
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2021-11-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789811666711

Get Book

Analyzing Strategic Rivalries in World Politics by William R. Thompson,Kentaro Sakuwa,Prashant Hosur Suhas Pdf

Strategic rivalries are contests between states that view one another as threatening competitors and treat each other as enemies. A disproportionate amount of interstate conflict is generated by a relatively small number of these pairs of states engaged in rivalries that can persist for years. Thus, to understand interstate peace and conflict, it is useful to know how rivalries work in general and more specifically. In the past two decades, a strenuous effort has been mounted to introduce the concept of rivalry and demonstrate its utility in unraveling conflict situations. Yet all rivalries are not exactly alike. We need to move to a more rewarding differentiation of how they differ in general. Principal rivalries are those antagonisms that are most significant to the decision makers in a state. The main distinction on issues about which rivals dispute are positional and spatial concerns. Positional rivalries contend over regional and global influence. Spatial rivals contend over which state deserves to control disputed territory. Interventionary rivalries predominate in sub-Saharan Africa. Their primary focus involves neighboring states attempting to influence who rules and how co-ethnics are treated. This book updates the inventory of strategic rivalries from 1816 to 2020. Principal rivalries are identified for the first time and cover the same period. A theory stressing the two main types of rivalry (positional and spatial) is elaborated and tested. Regional variations on the origins and terminations of spatial rivalry are explored and interpreted. In addition, attention is paid to fluctuations in the intensity of positional rivalries by examining the working of the contemporary major power triangle (United States, Soviet Union/Russia, and China) and, more generally, the dynamics of regional power that are rising in terms of their relative capability and status in the system. Variations in cooperation and termination dynamics both in general and according to rivalry type are also examined. Overall, the emphases of the book are split between demonstrating the utility of distinguishing among rivalry types and examining selected rivalry dynamics.

Author : Michael P. Colaresi,Karen Rasler,William R. Thompson
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2008-01-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781139468794

Get Book

Strategic Rivalries in World Politics by Michael P. Colaresi,Karen Rasler,William R. Thompson Pdf

International conflict is neither random nor inexplicable. It is highly structured by antagonisms between a relatively small set of states that regard each other as rivals. Examining the 173 strategic rivalries in operation throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this book identifies the differences rivalries make in the probability of conflict escalation and analyzes how they interact with serial crises, arms races, alliances and capability advantages. The authors distinguish between rivalries concerning territorial disagreement (space) and rivalries concerning status and influence (position) and show how each leads to markedly different patterns of conflict escalation. They argue that rivals are more likely to engage in international conflict with their antagonists than non-rival pairs of states and conclude with an assessment of whether we can expect democratic peace, economic development and economic interdependence to constrain rivalry-induced conflict.

Author : Michael P. Colaresi
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 314 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Electronic book
ISBN : 0511378289

Get Book

Strategic Rivalries in World Politics by Michael P. Colaresi Pdf

International conflict is neither random nor inexplicable. It is highly structured by antagonisms between a relatively small set of states that regard each other as rivals. Examining the 173 strategic rivalries in operation throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this book identifies the differences rivalries make in the probability of conflict escalation and analyzes how they interact with serial crises, arms races, alliances and capability advantages. The authors distinguish between rivalries concerning territorial disagreement (space) and rivalries concerning status and influence (position) and show how each leads to markedly different patterns of conflict escalation. They argue that rivals are more likely to engage in international conflict with their antagonists than non-rival pairs of states and conclude with an assessment of whether we can expect democratic peace, economic development and economic interdependence to constrain rivalry-induced conflict.

Author : William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2023-04-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789819905577

Get Book

Turmoil and Order in Regional International Politics by William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy Pdf

This edited book complements and follows up on the book, Thompson and Volgy et al, Regions, Power and Conflict: Constrained Capabilities, Hierarchy, and Rivalry. It is predicated in part on the paucity of published material available on comparing regional international politics. Monadic, dyadic, and systemic approaches all have their uses and have been exploited extensively. The same cannot be said about comparative regional analysis. The premise is that a great deal of international politics takes place within regional parameters. Most states simply lack the capability or interest in devoting many resources to extra-regional affairs. Yet each region is distinctive. In some, military coups remain common while they have died out as a form of political practice in others. A few have been highly conflictual and then become more pacific, while others persist in their conflict intensity. Some have powerful neighbors with intervention tendencies, while others are surrounded by relatively weak states. Some are rich; others are poor. The point is that regions, all with proper names, have attributes that can be harnessed through comparison to explain why regional behavior differs greatly across the planet. The aim is to replace the proper names with the leading variables that appear to drive behavior. For instance, to shrug and say “that’s the Middle East for you” does not take us very far. Replacing the Middle East label with conceptualization about how a set of small, weak, autocratic states behave subject to high penetration by major powers might take us farther than shrugging off regional identity. We have good reasons to think that comparative regional analysis can deliver an explanatory value-added product just as much as alternative “levels of analysis” can. Ultimately, we might desire to integrate separate levels of analysis, rather than segregating them. But in the short term, we need to encourage comparative regional analysis because it is the least developed perspective. Why that might be the case can be debated, but it stems in part from our disciplinary tendencies for some analysts to specialize in regional behavior largely in a descriptive vein while others prefer to focus on explaining universal behavior. Comparative regional behavior tends to be squeezed out by regional scholars who suspect generalization about behavior and universal scholars who suspect particular contexts such as regions. Comparative regional analysis requires analysts who are willing to explore generalization but acknowledge regional contexts more explicitly than is customary. At the same time, more general substitutes for those regional labels must be introduced if explanatory headway is to be achieved.

Author : James Lacey
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 592 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2016-10-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9780190620486

Get Book

Great Strategic Rivalries by James Lacey Pdf

From the legendary antagonism between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War to the Napoleonic Wars and the two World Wars of the twentieth century, the past is littered with long-term strategic rivalries. History tells us that such enduring rivalries can end in one of three ways: a series of exhausting conflicts in which one side eventually prevails, as in the case of the Punic Wars between ancient Rome and Carthage, a peaceful and hopefully orderly transition, like the rivalry between Great Britain and the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, or a one-sided collapse, such as the conclusion of the Cold War with the fall of the Soviet Union. However, in spite of a wealth of historical examples, the future of state rivalries remains a matter of conjecture. Great Strategic Rivalries explores the causes and implications of past strategic rivalries, revealing lessons for the current geopolitical landscape. Each chapter offers an accessible narrative of a historically significant rivalry, comprehensively covering the political, diplomatic, economic, and military dimensions of its history. Featuring original essays by world-class historians--including Barry Strauss, Geoffrey Parker, Williamson Murray, and Geoffrey Wawro--this collection provides an in-depth look at how interstate relations develop into often violent rivalries and how these are ultimately resolved. Much more than an engaging history, Great Strategic Rivalries contains valuable insight into current conflicts around the globe for policymakers and policy watchers alike.

Author : Imad Mansour,William R. Thompson
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2020-06-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781626167698

Get Book

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa by Imad Mansour,William R. Thompson Pdf

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa is the first book to examine issue-driven antagonisms within groups of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states and their impact on relations within the region. The volume also considers how shock events, such as internal revolts and regional wars, can alter interstate tensions and the trajectory of conflict. MENA has experienced more internal rivalries than any other region, making a detailed analysis vital to understanding the region’s complex political, cultural, and economic history. The state groupings studied in this volume include Israel and Iran; Iran and Saudi Arabia; Iran and Turkey; Iran, Iraq, and Syria; Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and Algeria and Morocco. Essays are theoretically driven, breaking the MENA region down into a collection of systems that exemplify how state and nonstate actors interact around certain issues. Through this approach, contributors shed rare light on the origins, persistence, escalation, and resolution of MENA rivalries and trace significant patterns of regional change. Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa makes a major contribution to scholarship on MENA antagonisms. It not only addresses an understudied phenomenon in the international relations of the MENA region, it also expands our knowledge of rivalry dynamics in global politics.

Author : Šumit Ganguly,Manjeet S. Pardesi,William R. Thompson
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2023-06-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781009193535

Get Book

The Sino-Indian Rivalry by Šumit Ganguly,Manjeet S. Pardesi,William R. Thompson Pdf

Draws on theoretical literature on international rivalries to explain the origins and evolution of the Sino-Indian rivalry.

Author : Zeev Maoz,Ben D. Mor
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : History
ISBN : 0472112740

Get Book

Bound by Struggle by Zeev Maoz,Ben D. Mor Pdf

Explains the origins and dynamics of enduring rivalries between countries

Author : William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2024-08-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781040099759

Get Book

Reconsidering the East Asian Peace by William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy Pdf

This volume re-examines the notion of the East Asian peace, arguing that it requires updating for the current and near-future context of US-Chinese rivalry. The “East Asian peace” refers to the remarkable change in conflict levels in eastern Eurasia over the past 80 years or even the past 130 years or so. Prior to the late 1970s, East Asia was regarded as the most conflictual region on the planet. Although insurgencies have continued in places such as Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, after the 1980s East and Southeast Asia became one of the world’s least conflictual regions. Geopolitics and economic development worked hand in hand to reduce conflict in the region and, in this respect, the East Asian peace has been a confluential peace. The general problem with a confluential peace is that the factors that shape it evolve over time, and the specific circumstances in question seem to be evolving in a different direction, with East Asia shaping up to be the most central locale of the contest between US and Chinese hegemony, both regionally and perhaps globally. This book argues that the idea of the East Asian peace now requires adjustment to the current and near-future context. The more general arguments presented here focus on alternative interpretations of how regional peace and order should be interpreted, while the more specific arguments involve interpretations of Chinese and other countries’ behavior in the context of the heightened rivalry between China and the United States. This book will be of much interest to students of East Asian politics, peace studies, foreign policy, and international relations.

Author : Paul Diehl,Gary Goertz
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2001-10-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0472088483

Get Book

War and Peace in International Rivalry by Paul Diehl,Gary Goertz Pdf

How do enduring rivalries between states affect international relations?

Author : William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy,Paul Bezerra,Jacob Cramer,Kelly Marie Gordell,Manjeet Pardesi,Karen Rasler,J. Patrick Rhamey Jr.,Kentaro Sakuwa,Rachel Van Nostrand,Leila Zakhirova
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2022-08-16
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789811916816

Get Book

Regions, Power, and Conflict by William R. Thompson,Thomas J. Volgy,Paul Bezerra,Jacob Cramer,Kelly Marie Gordell,Manjeet Pardesi,Karen Rasler,J. Patrick Rhamey Jr.,Kentaro Sakuwa,Rachel Van Nostrand,Leila Zakhirova Pdf

The three main levels of analysis in international relations have been the systemic, the national, and the individual. A fourth level that falls between the systemic and the national is the region. It is woefully underdeveloped in comparison to the attention afforded the other three. Yet regions tend to be distinctive theaters for international politics. Otherwise, we would not recognize that Middle Eastern interstate politics somehow does not resemble Latin American interstate politics or interstate politics in Southern Africa (although once the Middle East and Southern Africa may have seemed more similar in their mutual fixation with opposition to domestic policies in Israel and South Africa, respectively). This book, divided into three parts, first makes a case for studying regional politics even though it must also be appreciated that regional boundaries are also hazy and not always easy to pin down empirically. The second part examines power distributions within regions as an important entry point to studying regional similarities and differences. Two emphases are stressed. One is that regional power assessments need to be conditioned by controlling for weak states which are more common in some regions than they are in others. The other emphasis is on regional power hierarchies. Some regions have strong regional hierarchies while others do not. Regions with strong hierarchies operate much differently from those without them in the sense that the former are more pacific than the latter. The third part of the book focuses on regional differences in terms of conflict behavior, order preferences, rivalries, and rivalry termination.

Author : Haans J. Freddy
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 150 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-30
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 9783031581670

Get Book

New Trends in Emerging Power-Great Power Conflicts by Haans J. Freddy Pdf

Author : Paul Francis Diehl
Publisher : University of Illinois Press
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0252066731

Get Book

The Dynamics of Enduring Rivalries by Paul Francis Diehl Pdf

It's hard to think of Israel without also remembering the country's long-standing problems with its Arab neighbors. Similarly, India and Pakistan have long been less than cordial to each other. The concept of enduring rivalries and conflicts tantamount to militarized competition between two states is rapidly emerging as a subject of research in international relations. The nine contributors to The Dynamics of Enduring Rivalries place the concept in its empirical and theoretical context, exploring how such rivalries arise, what influences their development, and when and how they may escalate to war.

Author : Alpo M Rusi
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 133 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2021-11-28
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780429720543

Get Book

Dangerous Peace by Alpo M Rusi Pdf

Alpo Rusi provides a broad vision of the strategic landscape for the coming century, warning against dangers inherent in the emerging world order. He predicts a more complexand potentially hostilemultipolar system based on four or five rival trading blocs. Despite the centrality of trade rivalries, the role of military force will not vanish. Although he considers superpower conflict unlikely, he expects that lower-level conflicts will become more prevalent. Consequently, Rusi believes that the trading blocs will have to actively pursue security arrangements that will safeguard the traditional role of the nation-state. }Examining the international system from a geopolitical and geoeconomic perspective, Alpo Rusi provides a broad vision and bold forecast of the emerging strategic landscape for the coming century. An asymmetrical world system is emerging. The United States is now the sole true world power; it forms the core of a unipolar order characterized by an uneven division of world power and economic resources. Rusi argues, however, that this postCold War order will not survive into the next century.Rusi suggests that the power vacuum in the former Soviet empire will be filled by China in Asia and by the European Union in Eastern Europe, Russias disintegration and decline in world power status will continue but may have reached its bottom line economically, and Islam will gain strength in various parts of the world, embracing a new international role. He also predicts that the world will be split into four or five distinct trading blocs: A European bloc formed around the European Union; an East Asian bloc, potentially strong, interventionist, and even aggressive, formed around China and the Singapore economic region; Japan, as a strong and still competitive economic power; and a Pan-American bloc, also strong but potentially isolationist, formed around the United States. One of the question marks will be the future ability of an orthodox Russia to facilitate conditions for an economic space. According to Rusi, these trading blocs will develop new political or geopolitical interests. For example, the European bloc will extract fossil fuels from the former Soviet Union instead of the Middle East, thereby changing the existing global trade system. Each bloc will have certain internal problemsthe Europeans will be linked to the unstable successors to the Soviet Union, the East Asian Bloc will have to contemplate whether Chinas economic growth and geopolitical expansions will create a new bipolar world in the early twenty-first century, and the Pan-American bloc will struggle with continuing political and economic instability in South and Central America.Finally, Rusi warns that it is crucial for the European and Pan-American blocs to build upon the traditional Euro-Atlantic relationship. Without it, he argues, a truly polarizedand potentially hostilebloc system will take root, most likely lining the Western pan-regions against Chinas expansiveness. }

Author : Imad Mansour,William R. Thompson
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2020-06-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781626167681

Get Book

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa by Imad Mansour,William R. Thompson Pdf

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa is the first book to examine issue-driven antagonisms within groups of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states and their impact on relations within the region. The volume also considers how shock events, such as internal revolts and regional wars, can alter interstate tensions and the trajectory of conflict. MENA has experienced more internal rivalries than any other region, making a detailed analysis vital to understanding the region’s complex political, cultural, and economic history. The state groupings studied in this volume include Israel and Iran; Iran and Saudi Arabia; Iran and Turkey; Iran, Iraq, and Syria; Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and Algeria and Morocco. Essays are theoretically driven, breaking the MENA region down into a collection of systems that exemplify how state and nonstate actors interact around certain issues. Through this approach, contributors shed rare light on the origins, persistence, escalation, and resolution of MENA rivalries and trace significant patterns of regional change. Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa makes a major contribution to scholarship on MENA antagonisms. It not only addresses an understudied phenomenon in the international relations of the MENA region, it also expands our knowledge of rivalry dynamics in global politics.