Power, Trade, and War

To what extent does the distribution of power among nations influence patterns of international trade and the onset of war? Which factors contribute to variations in the distribution of power? Do patterns of international trade help to explain the conditions under which wars begin? How great an impact does war have on patterns of international trade? These questions have long been the subject of debate among social scientists, without having received clear answers. In this book, which presents the first attempt to model the relationships among the distribution of power, international trade, and war, Edward Mansfield dispels the widespread belief that a monotonic relationship exists between the distribution of power and patterns of both war and trade. Using quantitative analyses of structural and process-level factors, Mansfield examines the systemic influences on the outbreak of various types of interstate war. His results suggest that polarity is a less significant influence on war than the concentration of capabilities or the level of international trade. Power, Trade, and War will stand as an indispensable reference for both theoretical and empirical research concerning the international political economy and international conflict.