CIAO DATE: 04/2014
Volume: 38, Issue: 3
Winter 2013-2014
"Grounds for War: The Evolution of Territorial Conflict" (PDF)
Monica Duffy Toft, Dominic D.P. Johnson
International relations theory has thus far failed to account for the recurrence and severity of territorial conflict, especially over land with little or no value. Evolutionary biology offers a unique explanation for this behavior. An examination of territoriality across the animal kingdom as well as evolutionary game theory that deals with territorial behavior generates novel predictions about when territorial conflict is likely to occur.
"Expert Knowledge in Intelligence Assessments: Bird Flu and Bioterrorism" (PDF)
Kathleen M. Vogel
A study of the 2011 controversy surrounding publication of Ron Fouchier and Yoshihiro Kawaoka's H5N1 avian influenza experiments reveals that U.S. intelligence analysts do not have adequate resources to evaluate dual-use scientific experiments, or to navigate the politics that characterize the use of technical expertise in biosecurity issues.
Peter Krause
When and why do national movements succeed? What explains variation in the use and effectiveness of political violence employed by nationalist groups? Analysis of seventeen campaigns involving sixteen groups within the Palestinian and Algerian national movements suggests that hegemonic movements with one significant group are most likely to succeed.
"Strong Armies, Slow Adaptation: Civil-Military Relations and the Diffusion of Military Power" (PDF)
Burak Kadercan
Why did the great powers of Europe adapt to the so-called military revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries while the Ottoman Empire failed to do so? This puzzle is best explained by two factors: civil-military relations and historical timing. The Ottoman standing army was able to block reforms that it believed challenged its interests. Absent a similar challenge, European rulers motivated officers and military entrepreneurs to participate in military reforms.
"Primacy or World Order? The United States and China's Rise—A Review Essay" (PDF)
Yuen Foong Khong
How should the United States respond to China’s rise? What are China’s strategic goals? What are the implications of U.S.-China strategic interactions for world order? This review essay examines the answers provided by three recent works—Aaron Friedberg’s A Contest for Supremacy, Hugh White’s The China Choice, and Yan Xuetong’s Ancient Chinese Political Thought, Modern Chinese Power.
"Debating China's Assertiveness" (PDF)
Alastair Iain Johnston, Xiaoyu Pu, Dingding Chen
Dingding Chen and Xiaoyu Pu respond to Alastair Iain Johnston's Spring 2013 International Security article, "How New and Assertive Is China's New Assertiveness?"
"Correspondence: Reevaluating Foreign-Imposed Regime Change" (PDF)
Alexander B. Downes, Jonathan Monten, William G. Nomikos
William G. Nomikos responds to Alexander B. Downes and Jonathan Monten's Spring 2013 International Security article, "Forced to Be Free?: Why Foreign-Imposed Regime Change Rarely Leads to Democratization."