This book presents a collection of new and updated essays on what has come to be known as the territorial explanation of war.

The book argues that a key both to peace and to war lies in understanding the role territory plays as a source of conflict and inter-group violence. Of all the issues that spark conflict, territorial disputes have the highest probability of escalating to war. War, however, is hardly inevitable; much depends on how territorial issues are handled. More importantly, settling territorial disputes and establishing mutually recognized boundaries can produce long periods of peace between neighbors, even if other salient issues arise. While territory is not the only cause of war and wars arise from other issues, territory is one of the main causes of war, and learning how to manage it, can, in principle, eliminate an entire class of wars.

This book will be of great interest to all students of war and conflict studies, causes of war and peace, international security and strategic studies.

John A. Vasquez is Thomas B. Mackie Scholar in International Relations at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is author of The Steps to War (2008) (with Paul Senese) and The War Puzzle Revisited (2009). He has been president of the Peace Science Society (International) and the International Studies Association.

Marie T. Henehan is Director of Internships and Lecturer, Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is author of Foreign Policy and Congress: An International Relations Perspective and co-editor of The Scientific Study of Peace and War.

Contents

Part 1: Theory 1. Why Do Neighbors Fight? Proximity, Interactions, or Territoriality John A. Vasquez 2. Distinguishing Rivals That Go To War from Those That Do Not: A Quantitative Comparative Case Study of the Two Paths to War John A. Vasquez Part 2: Territory and War 3. Territorial Disputes and the Probability of War, 1816-1992 John A. Vasquez anT. Henehan 4. Mapping the Probability of War: The Role of Territorial Disputes Compared to the Role of Contiguity John A. Vasquez 5. The Effect of Territory on Dispute Escalation among Initiators Marie T. Henehan 6. The Probability of War, 1816-1992 John A. Vasquez Part 3: Identifying Paths to War 7. Territorial Paths to War: Their Probability of Escalation, 1816-2001 John A. Vasquez 8. Paths to War: The Territorial Origins of War John A. Vasquez Part 4: Territory and Peace 9. The Changing Probability of Interstate War, 1816-1992 Marie T. Henehan and John A. Vasquez 10. Peace, Globalization, and Territoriality John A. Vasquez and Marie T. Henehan Part 5: Conclusion 11. The Significance of Territory John A. Vasquez

Author Bio

John A. Vasquez is Thomas B. Mackie Scholar in International Relations at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is author of The Steps to War (2008) (with Paul Senese) and The War Puzzle Revisited (2009). He has been president of the Peace Science Soc...