Table of Contents

Part I: Foundations
Chapter 1: The Scientific Study of War
What Is Science?
The Scientific and Classical Approaches
Levels of Analysis
Dangerous Dyads
A Process Model of War
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 2: Identifying Wars and Militarized Disputes
International Conflict in the Past Two Centuries
Defining War
Militarized Interstate Disputes
Other Measures of International Conflict
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 3: Rational Choice Theory
Rationality
Expected Utility Theory
Game Theory
Bargaining Model of War
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Part II: Causes of War and Militarized Disputes
Chapter 4: Contiguity and Territory
Contiguity and International Conflict
Identifying Opportunity for Conflict
Territorial Issues and International Conflict
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 5: Power
Defining and Measuring Power
Polarity and Stability
Offense-Defense Balance
Power Transition Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 6: Alliances
Types of Alliances
Why Do States Form Alliances?
Drawbacks of Alliances
Measuring Shared Interests
Alliances and Conflict
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 7: Democratic Peace
Empirical Findings Regarding the Democratic Peace
Explaining the Democratic Peace
The Kantian Triangle
Alternative Explanations
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 8: Deterrence
Types of Deterrence
Classical Deterrence Theory
Perfect Deterrence Theory
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 9: Escalation of Disputes to War
Patterns of Escalation
Contextual Factors Leading to Escalation
Strategy, Interaction, and Escalation
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Part III: The Conduct and Aftermath of War
Chapter 10: Military Doctrine and Strategy
The Study of Warfare
Military Strategy
Principles of War
Modeling Combat
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 11: Evolution of War
War Expansion
War Duration
War Outcomes
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 12: War Termination and Consequences
Bargaining and War Termination
Consequences of War
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Chapter 13: Recurrent Conflict and Rivalry
Recurrent Conflict
Settlements and Recurrent Conflict
International Rivalry
Conclusion
Key Concepts
Part IV: Conclusions
Chapter 14: What Have We Learned About War?
The Cumulation of Knowledge
The Importance of Theory
Key Concepts

About the Author

Stephen L. Quackenbush is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri. His research and teaching focuses on international conflict. Specific areas of interest include understanding the dynamics of deterrence, the effect of settlements on recurrent conflict, and the effect of strategy and other factors on war outcomes. He is the author of Understanding General Deterrence: Theory and Application, and his research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Politics, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, International Interactions, Conflict Management and Peace Science, and Review of International Studies. He served as an Army officer, including a year in Iraq in 2004, receiving the Bronze Star Medal.

Reviews

"International Conflict: Logic and Evidence is a superb introduction to the ideas and apparatus of the conflict processes field. The book covers the entire process of war in a succinct way. By the last page, students have a basic familiarity with offense and defensive realism, stability, and polarity, expected utility theory, and other major areas of the literature." 
*Patrick James*

"Quackenbush has written a highly readable and intellectually stimulating book. I have no doubt that students will find the content useful for advancing their understanding of warfare. Equally importantly, the book’s emphasis on explaining the scientific method and carefully delineating various approaches to scientific research make it especially useful. Indeed, the book helps readers understand how the social sciences ‘do’ science, which is one of its most unique and appealing features."
*Bruce W. Dayton*

"International Conflict: Logic and Evidence is a textbook that could serve as both a text and also a great reference for original research. It collects and generalizes some of the most focused and important research topics in the scientific study of war over the past thirty years (at least)."
*Brent Steele*