Arms Races, Arms Control, and Conflict Analysis
Contributions from Peace Science and Peace Economics

Walter Isard (Author), Christine Smith (With), Charles H. Anderton (With)

9780521368421, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 February 1989

556 pages, 115 b/w illus. 17 tables
22.8 x 15.4 x 3.3 cm, 0.78 kg

'As an encyclopedic survey of Peace Science for the technically oriented researcher the book accomplishes its purpose. The references provide ample sources for the reader to pursue in depth topics introduced in this guided tour. As this book confirms, Peace Science and Peace Research have now become established features of our intellectual and academic landscape. We have Walter Isard to thank first and foremost for this accomplishment.' Martin C. McGuire, Journal of Economic Literature

Demonstrating the ways in which work in a broad range of fields can be pulled together in the analysis of conflict, this book provides the reader with a general introduction to the principles of conflict analysis and lays a methodological foundation for the further development of the interdisciplinary field of peace science. The text begins with an extensive survey of arms race models, from the classic Richardson model to models exploring the effects of factors such as the domestic and international economic environment, public opinion and party politics, and weapons technology and information development. The processes of individual and group problem-solving, in both crisis and non-crisis conditions, are examined, drawing on work in economics, operations research, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. Building on this diverse body of work, the author moves on to develop a framework for conflict management with which to approach a variety of conflict situations and applies this procedure to the United States-Soviet arms control conflict. Walter Isard is cited by Mark Blaug as one of the Great Economists Since Keynes (CUP, 1989 paper edition).

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]