Conflict, War, and Peace

Michael A. Messner is professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California.  His teaching and research focuses on men and feminism, gender and sports, gender-based violence, war and peace, and social movements.  He is the author of several books, including Some men:  Feminist allies and the movement to end violence against women (Oxford University Press, 2015), and most recently Guys like me:  Five wars, five veterans for peace (Rutgers University Press, 2019) . His honors include the Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center, the Feminist Mentoring Award from the Sociologists for Women in Society, and the Jessie Bernard Award, presented by the American Sociological Association in recognition of contributions to the understanding of women’s lives.http://www.michaelmessner.org/John A. Vasquez is the Thomas B. Mackie Scholar in International Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The author of The War Puzzle Revisited (2009), he has served as president of the Peace Science Society (International) and the International Studies Association.

The examined contributions by names such as Stuart Bremer, Paul F. Diehl, John A. Vasquez, Bruce Russet, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Randolph M. Siverson are followed by a methodological note that explains with clarity and precision the contribution to knowledge and the methods used. The originality consists in the process of breaking down what researchers take for granted and adapting it to the undergraduate level of understanding. Against this background, the book addresses a missing link in the module and course handbooks and takes the form of a curated set of lessons in research methods aimed to ‘highlight some of the key research studies on interstate conflict’.

• Part I: Overview1. Introduction - Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and John A. Vasquez 2. Dangerous Dyads: Conditions Affecting the Likelihood of Interstate War, 1816-1965 - Stuart A. BremerMajor Contributions: Dangerous DyadsMethodological Notes: ProbabilitiesPart II: Dangerous Dyads3. Bones of Contention: Comparing Territorial, Maritime, and River Issues - Paul R. Hensel, Sara McLaughlin Mitchell, Thomas E. Sowers II, and Clayton L. ThyneMajor Contributions: Territorial ConflictMethodological Notes: Log Odds, Logit Model, and Substantive Significance4. Alliances and the Expansion and Escalation of Militarized Interstate Disputes - Brett Ashley LeedsMajor Contributions: AlliancesMethodological Notes: Selection Bias5. The New Rivalry Dataset: Procedures and Patterns - James P. Klein, Gary Goertz, and Paul F. DiehlMajor Contributions: RivalryMethodological Notes: Percentages, Reliability, and Validity6. The Outcomes of Military Buildups: Minor States vs. Major Powers - Susan G. Sample Major Contributions: Arms RacesMethodological Notes: Statistical Significance and Control Variables7. Assessing the Steps to War - Paul D. Senese and John A. VasquezMajor Contributions: The Steps to WarMethodological Notes: Research Design and Measurement8. Rivalry and Diversionary Uses of Force - Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and Brandon C. Prins Major Contributions: Diversionary TheoryMethodological Notes: Interaction Terms and the GEE ModelPart III: Peaceful Dyads9. The Kantian Peace: The Pacific Benefits of Democracy, Interdependence, and International Organizations, 1885-1992 - John R. Oneal and Bruce RussettMajor Contributions: Democratic PeaceMethodological Notes: Levels of Analysis10. Economic Interdependence: A Path to Peace or a Source of Interstate Conflict? - Katherine BarbieriMajor Contributions: Economic InterdependenceMethodological Notes: Missing Data11. A Unified Statistical Model of Conflict Onset and Escalation - William ReedMajor Contributions: Power PreponderanceMethodological Notes: Selection (Censored Probit) Models12. Bordering on Peace: Democracy, Territorial Issues, and Conflict - Douglas M. GiblerMajor Contributions: Territorial PeaceMethodological Notes: Spurious Relationships13. Proliferation and International Crisis Behavior - Victor Asal and Kyle BeardsleyMajor Contributions: Nuclear WeaponsMethodological Notes: Ordered Logit ModelsPart IV: Outcomes & Consequences of War14. The Precarious Nature of Peace: Resolving the Issues, Enforcing the Settlement, and Renegotiating the Terms - Suzanne WernerMajor Contributions: Enforcing SettlementsMethodological Notes: Duration (Weibull) Models15. War and the Survival of Political Leaders: A Comparative Study of Regime Types and Political Accountability - Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Randolph M. SiversonMajor Contributions: Leader SurvivalMethodological Notes: Game Theory Models