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

by Walter Isard , With Christine Smith , Charles H. Anderton

• ISBN13: 9780521362979
• ISBN10: 0521362970
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1989-02-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

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).

Table of Contents

List of illustrations

List of tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction and overview

Part I. Basic Framework and Set of Analysis: 2. A survey of arms race models

3. Individual and group behaviour: noncrisis situation

4. A more formal cognitive framework for individual and group behaviour

5. Decision-making behavior under major psychological stress and crisis conditions

6. Learning, problem solving, and information research and development

7. Policy space analysis: the choice of policies regarding arms expenditures and other issues and the value of information development

8. National security reasoning: the nature and effectiveness of political argument

9. World system models: incorporation of military expenditures and arms trade

10. Negotiation/mediation principles and qualitative and quantitative conflict management procedures

11. Potential for a specific application: the U.S.-Soviet arms control conflict problem

12. Summary of Part I and conclusions

Part II. Some Advanced Analyses: 13. Synthesis of arms race models

14. Learning by a group, its leader, and its individual members

15. Information research and development from a dynamical system viewpoint

16. Invention and innovation in information research and development for problem solving: an exploratory view

Notation

Author index

Subject index.