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Territorial changes and international conflict

by Gary Goertz

Summary

One commentator has noted that "the history of war and peace is largely identical to the history of territorial changes as results of war and causes of the next war." In this study, one of the first systematic and empirical analyses of the subject, Gary Goertz and Paul Diehl chart territorial changes and military conflicts across the period of 1916-1980. Territorial Changes and International Conflict begins with an overview of exchanges of territory involving at least one state from 1816-1980. These changes are described and analyzed in several dimensions, including location and significance. Using statistical and descriptive analysis, the authors attempt to answer three related sets of When does military conflict accompany the process of national independence? When do states fight over territorial changes and when are such transactions completed peacefully? Lastly, how do territorial changes affect future military conflict between the states involved in the exchange? In their analysis, the authors focus on the relative power distribution of the states involved, international norms, the legitimacy of the exchange, and the importance of the territory involved. They discuss contemporary territorial disputes and the prospects for change in the future.