An Introduction to the Causes of War: Patterns of Interstate Conflict from World War I to Iraq

Product Description
This pioneering book, now thoroughly updated to incorporate important research, explains the causes of war through a sustained combination of theoretical insights and detailed case studies. Cashman and Robinson find that while all wars have multiple causes, certain factors typically combine in identifiable “dangerous patterns.” Through their examination of World War I, World War II in the Pacific, the Six-Day War, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Iran-Iraq War, and the US invasion of Iraq, the authors lay out the complex multilevel processes by which disputes between countries erupt into bloody conflicts. Ideal for a range of courses in international relations at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, this focused text clearly explains theory and applies it to concrete case-study examples in a way that allows students to fully understand the origins of war.
Review
Cashman and Robinson’s detailed case studies of some of the most important interstate wars of the past century are guided by theory and well grounded in the historical literature. They nicely highlight both the complexity of the causes of war and the persistence of recurrent patterns. An Introduction to the Causes of War provides one of the best combinations of theory and history of the causes of war that one can find in a single book for the undergraduate classroom. -- Jack S. Levy, Rutgers University
Cashman and Robinson urge analytical integration and more interaction with case studies—both of which are highly desirable goals for pedagogical and theoretical reasons. Their text should prove highly useful in courses on the causes of war. -- William R. Thompson, emeritus, Indiana University
An impressive and important contribution to the canon of books that explore the causes of interstate war. Using five different levels or baskets of analysis—individual, sub-state, nation-state, dyadic, and international system—Cashman and Robinson masterfully blend theory and case studies to highlight the multicausal dynamics that affect the probability of war. An Introduction to theCauses of War is essential reading for students and scholars interested in a comprehensive understanding of the wars from World War I to the Iraq War and why disagreements were not resolved peacefully. -- Steven E. Lobell, University of Utah
About the Author
Greg Cashman is professor emeritus of political science at Salisbury University. Leonard C. Robinson is professor of political science at Salisbury University.