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The trade-offs of fighting and investing: A model of the evolution of war and peace
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The trade-offs of fighting and investing: A model of the evolution of war and peace

Kelly M Kadera and Daniel S Morey
Conflict management and peace science, Vol.25(2), pp.152-170
2008
DOI: 10.1080/07388940802007272

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Abstract

International competition occurs in many different forms. Just as a state would be in danger if it allowed its opponent to gain a military advantage, one that falls behind a rival in an economic contest similarly faces risks. States must weigh the trade-offs between economic and military growth, as well as deciding on the best strategy to follow should war erupt. We use a formal, dynamic model to explicitly capture the trade-offs that states face in their search for security and dominance. The deductions from the model demonstrate that by considering the long-run results of a peacetime rivalry, weaker states might conclude that their only hope of winning or surviving a rivalry lies in fighting a counterforce war, explain why and how stalemates evolve during counterforce wars, and indicate that targeting industrial objectives shortens the duration of wars.

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