War Termination

Abstract

War termination, a critical aspect of war, is central to understanding the war process as a whole. Yet, this field of study, which is concerned with how wars can be brought to an end once they have started, remains neglected. Research on this topic, much of which dates back to the 1960s, has included diverse theoretical approaches - from the general to specific. The general approach addresses the forms and consequences of war outcomes, whereas the specific approach is more concerned with particular variables that explain why wars end. This article examines the contributions researchers have made to this field and structures a discussion around three critical, common factors: military dimension; costs; and terms of settlement. The findings show that although there exists no one theory or consensus on why and when wars end, researchers have successfully identified a group of causes. However, the significance of each cause is likely to vary depending on the specific conditions of each war. The article concludes by calling for more research on this topic in the areas of description, explanation, and testing of hypotheses.