Conflict escalation in dyads with a history of territorial disputes
International Journal of Conflict Management
ISSN: 1044-4068
Article publication date: 5 October 2010
Abstract
Purpose
Building on the steps to war model, this paper seeks to examine the impact that territorial Militarized Interstate Disputes (MID) have on the time it takes a dyad to go to war after it experiences its first MID.
Design/methodology/approach
A model common to epidemiological research, the hazard model, is employed to examine the dyadic relationship from the time of the first MID forward. This is an improvement to dyadic analysis, as most research examines the characteristics of individual MIDs in isolation.
Findings
Dyads with a history of territorial MIDs go to war much more quickly than dyads without a history of territorial MIDs. Future research should explore the relationship between territory, war, and power status to test the assertion that minor power states engage in power politics behavior less frequently.
Practical implications
Conflict resolution measures need to be employed more quickly when states have unresolved territorial issues. Mediation generally does not occur quickly, which may explain why territorial issues are less likely to be referred to mediators and less successfully mediated. The results presented herein highlight the need for flexible, quick responses to certain crises and the need to settle borders and other territorial disputes permanently to avoid war.
Originality/value
The paper tests a critical component of the steps to war model and examines the assertion that the historical relationship between states affects conflict decisions.
Keywords
Citation
Petersen, K.K. (2010), "Conflict escalation in dyads with a history of territorial disputes", International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 415-433. https://doi.org/10.1108/10444061011079958
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited