What Do We Know about War?

Sara McLaughlin Mitchell is the Professor and Collegiate Scholar of Political Science at the University of Iowa. John A. Vasquez is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Solving the puzzle of war has dominated the attention of scholars and policy makers alike for decades. The new edition of What Do We Know about War? gauges the knowledge ascertained about the causes of war and the conditions of peace by the scientific community since the publication of the first edition, more than twenty years ago. In addition, it provides insights into new areas of research and concludes with reflections on what we have learned. This book is an essential read for academics, policy makers, and students interested in questions of war and peace.

• Preface to the Revised Third EditionPreface to the Third EditionIntroduction Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and John A. VasquezPART I: FACTORS THAT BRING ABOUT WAR 1 Territory and Contentious Issues Paul R. Hensel and Hein Goemans2 Dyadic Power Distributions and War Daniel S. Morey and Kelly M. Kadera3 Deterrence Theory and Alliance Politics Michael R. Kenwick and Roseanne W. McManus4 Arms Races Susan G. Sample5 Rivalries and Crisis Bargaining Seden Akcinaroglu and Elizabeth Radziszewski6 Nuclear Weapons Matthew Fuhrmann7 Outcomes and Consequences of War Stephen L. QuackenbushPART II: FACTORS THAT PROMOTE PEACE 8 The Liberal Peace Michael Mousseau9 The Territorial Peace: Current and Future Research Douglas M. Gibler and Steven V. Miller10 The Peace Puzzle: Understanding Transitions to Peace Andrew P. Owsiak, Paul F. Diehl, and Gary Goertz11 Conflict Management of Territorial and Maritime Disputes Emilia Justyna Powell and Krista E. WiegandPART III: EMERGING TRENDS IN INTERSTATE WAR RESEARCH 12 Cyber War Brandon Valeriano, Ryan C. Maness, and Benjamin Jensen13 The Environment and Conflict: Water Wars Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and Yufan Yang14 Leaders and War Scott Wolford15 War Financing and Foreign Debt Rosella Cappella Zielinski and Paul Poast16 Trends in Interstate Conflict Bear F. BraumoellerPART IV: CONCLUSION 17 Some Brief Observations on the Contemporary Study of War William R. Thompson18 War and the Orient Express Andrew P. Owsiak and Douglas B. Atkinson19 What Do We Know about War? Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and John A. Vasquez20 Afterword: The Russia-Ukraine War--What Can Quantitative Conflict Research Tell Us?Sara McLaughlin Mitchell and John A. VasquezReferences Name Index Subject Index About the Contributors