Roots of the Modern Interstate Border Dispute

Abstract

Recently there has been a flare-up of several significant international border disputes. This study examines when these disputes are most likely to arise, when they will escalate into war, and when they will spread beyond the original national participants. Specifically, this article hypothesizes that the frequency of border disputes is highest between nations that have (1) roughly equal levels of power and (2) relatively low levels of technology; that the severity of these disputes is highest when there is (3) a low level of technology, (4) contention on ethnic rather than resource issues, and (5) a two-state rather than three-state “mutually-contiguous” set; and that the scope of these disputes is highest between nations that are (6) members of opposing blocs rather than the same bloc. Data on 66 border dispute cases during 1945–1974 confirm these hypotheses.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Blainey, G. (1973) The Causes of War. New York: Free Press.

Boulding, K. E. (1962) Conflict and Defense. New York: Harper & Row.

Butterworth, R. L. (1976) Managing Interstate Conflict, 1945–74: Data with Synopses. Pittsburgh: Univ. of Pittsburgh, Center for International Studies.

Cox, K. R. , D. R. REYNOLDS , and S. ROKKAN (1974) Locational Approaches to Power and Conflict. New York: John Wiley.

Cox, R. W. and H. K. JACOBSON (1973) The Anatomy of Influence. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.

Deutsch, K. W. and J. D. SINGER (1964) “Multipolar power systems and international stability.” World Politics 16: 390–406.

Ferris, W. (1973) The Power Capabilities of Nation-States. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Garnham, D. (1976a) “Dyadic international war 1816–1965: The role of power parity and geographical proximity.” Western Pol. Q. 29: 231–242.

Garnham, D. (1976b) “Power parity and lethal international violence, 1969–1973.” J. of Conflict Resolution 20: 370–394.

10.

Gochman, C. S. (1976) “Studies of international violence: Five easy pieces?” J. of Conflict Resolution 20: 539–560.

11.

Gray, C. S. (1978) Geopolitics of the Nuclear Era. New York: Crane, Russak.

12.

LUARD, E. [ed.] (1970) The International Regulation of Frontier Disputes. London: Thames & Hudson.

13.

Mandel, R. (1979) Perception, Decision Making, and Conflict. Washington, DC: University Press of America.

14.

Midlarsky, M. (1974) “Power, uncertainty and the onset of international violence.” J. of Conflict Resolution 18: 395–431.

15.

Organski, A.F.K. (1968) World Politics. New York: Knopf.

16.

Pearson, F. S. (1974) “Geographical proximity and foreign military intervention.” J. of Conflict Resolution 18: 432–460.

17.

Prescott, J. R. (1978) Boundaries and Frontiers. Totawa, NJ: Rowman.

18.

Richardson, L. F. (1960) Statistics of Deadly Quarrels. Pittsburgh: Boxwood.

19.

Rosecrance, R. N. (1966) “Bipolarity, multipolarity, and the future.” J. of Conflict Resolution 10: 314–327.

20.

Russett, B. M. (1967) International Regions and the International System. Chicago: Rand McNally.

21.

Russett, B. M. , H. R. ALKER, Jr. , K. W. DEUTSCH , and H. D. LASSWELL (1964) World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.

22.

Saaty, T. and P. KAINEN (1977) The Four-Color Problem: Assaults and Conquest. New York: McGraw-Hill.

23.

Snyder, G. H. and P. DIESING (1977) Conflict Among Nations. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

24.

Sprout, H. (1963) “Geopolitical hypotheses in technological perspective.” World Politics 15: 187–212.

25.

Sprout, H. and M. SPROUT (1965) The Ecological Perspective on Human Affairs with Special Reference to International Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

26.

Starr, H. and B. A. MOST (1978) “A return journey: Richardson, ‘frontiers’ and wars in the 1946–1965 era.” J. of Conflict Resolution 22: 441–467.

27.

Starr, H. and B. A. MOST (1976) “The substance and study of borders in international relations research.” Int. Studies Q. 20: 581–620.

28.

Taylor, C. L. and M. C. HUDSON (1972) World Handbook of Political and Social Indicators. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.

29.

Weede, E. (1976) “Overwhelming preponderance as a pacifying condition among contiguous Asian dyads, 1950–1969.” J. of Conflict Resolution 20: 395–411.

30.

Wesley, J. P. (1962) “Frequency of wars and geographical opportunity.” J. of Conflict Resolution 6: 387–389.

31.

Wright, Q. (1965) A Study of War. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.