Chapters 3 & 4 Flashcards
War
An event involving the
organized use of military force by at
least two parties that satisfy some of
the minimum threshold of severity.
Interstate War
A war in which the
main participants are states.
Civil War
A war in which the main
participants are within the same
state, such as the government and a
rebel group.
What do States Fight Over?
- Territory
- Wealth
- Resources
- Strategic Importance
- Policies
- National policy
- Regime type
- Ethnic or
religious
divisions
Crisis Bargaining
A bargaining interaction in which at least one actor
threatens to use force in the even that
its demands are not met.
Coercive Diplomacy
The use of threats to influence the outcome of a
bargaining interaction.
Bargaining Range
The set of deals that both parties in a bargaining
interaction prefer to the reversion
outcome.
Types of Coercive Bargaining
Compellence
Deterrence
Compellence
An effort to change the status quo through the threat of force.
Deterrence
An effort to preserve the status quo through the threat of force.
2 Types of Bargaining Mistakes
- Yielding too little
* Asking too much
Incomplete Information
A situation in which parties in a strategic interaction lack information about other parties’ interests and/or capabilities
2 Types of Unknowns
Capabilities and Resolve
Capabilities
The state’s physical ability to prevail in war

Resolve
The willingness of an actor to endure costs in order to acquire some good.
Risk-Return Trade-Off
In crisis bargaining, the trade-off between trying to get a better deal and trying to avoid war
Credibility
A credible threat is a threat that the recipient believes will be carried out. A credible commitment is a commitment or promise that the recipient believes will be honored.

Brinkmanship
A strategy in which adversaries take actions that increase the risk of accidental war, with the hope that the other will “blink,” or lose its nerve, first and make concessions
Audience Costs
Negative repercussions for failing to follow through on a threat or to honor a commitment
Commitment Problem
The difficulty that states can have making credible promises not to use force to revise a settlement at a later date
Preventative War
A war fought with the intention of preventing an adversary from becoming stronger in the future. Preventative wars arise because states whose power is increasing cannot commit not to exploit that power in future bargaining interactions
First-Strike Advantage
The situation that arises when military technology, military strategies, and/or geography give a significant advantage to whichever state attacks first in a war.

Preemptive war
A war fought with the anticipation that an attack from the other side in imminent
Indivisible Good
A good that cannot be divide without diminishing its value
General/National interests
An interest that most or all within a
country share
Particularistic Interests
An interest that is shared by a relatively
small number of actors within the country
Bureaucracy
The collection of organizations- including the military, the diplomatic corps, and the intelligence agencies – that carry out most tasks of governance within the state.
Interest Groups
Groups of individuals with common interests that organize to influence public policy in a manner that benefits their members.
Rally Effect
The tendency for people to become more supportive of their country’s government in response to dramatic international events, such as crises or wars.
Diversionary Incentive
The incentive
that state leaders have to start
international crises in order to rally
public support at home.
Military-Industrial Complex
An alliance between military leaders and
the industries that benefit from
international conflict, such as arms
manufacturers.
