A New Look at International Conflict and Peace: Four Factors to Consider

Abstract

This chapter provides a theoretical exposition in the form of a foreign policy decision-making process model. The model traces how international conflict between two states can occur with an emphasis on the roles played by the following four factors: (a) civil-military relations, (b) military manpower system, (c) diplomatic channels, and (d) media openness. Conceptual model building will pay close attention to these four factors, which democratic peace studies have yet to consider. The first section explains the inspiration for (or intuition behind) the model. The second section focuses on a flow chart that shows how interstate conflict occurs in relation to the four factors. The third section provides two historical exemplars, while the fourth and final section offers some conclusions.