A theory of third-party intervention in disputes in international politics

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dc.contributor.advisorMorgan, T. Cliftonen_US
dc.creatorWohlander, Scott Barryen_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-06-04T06:47:33Zen_US
dc.date.available2009-06-04T06:47:33Zen_US
dc.date.issued2001en_US
dc.description.abstractThe occurrence of third-party intervention is a hallmark of many of the most devastating conflicts in world history, because the entrance of third parties into a conflict expands the scope of the violence, amplifies the severity and duration of the fighting, and increases the overall amount of death and destruction. Even in international conflicts in which intervention does not occur, the possibility that third parties may intervene can affect the behavior of disputants and therefore shape the way disputes evolve and are eventually resolved. This dissertation develops a theory of intervention by laying out a story about how strategic third parties and disputants make interdependent decisions in the context of an ongoing militarized dispute, and then formalizing this story into a simple-game theoretic model. The theory produces a general, causal explanation for third-party intervention that specifies the precise conditions under which it does and does not occur. Overall, the theory predicts approximately two-thirds of cases correctly when subjected to rigorous empirical tests. In addition, the theory produces theoretically-interesting, empirically-supported insights about the relationships between the resources of the actors involved in a militarized dispute and the likelihood that intervention occurs. The dissertation concludes with an application of the theory to the debate in the international relations literature over whether balancing or bandwagoning is the more common form of intervention. The application shows that the theory produces a more powerful explanation for the occurrence of balancing and bandwagoning than the existing literature offers, and suggests that the debate is misspecified.en_US
dc.format.extent389 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS POL.SCI. 2001 WOHLANDERen_US
dc.identifier.citationWohlander, Scott Barry. "A theory of third-party intervention in disputes in international politics." (2001) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/18044">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/18044</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/18044en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectPolitical scienceen_US
dc.subjectInternational lawen_US
dc.subjectInternational relationsen_US
dc.titleA theory of third-party intervention in disputes in international politicsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPolitical Scienceen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineSocial Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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