Crisis, Conflict and Instability

9780080365039

0080365035

The International Crisis Behavior (ICB) Project has, since 1975, been engaged in a large-scale investigation of international and foreign policy crises during the twentieth century. Following on from the success of the largely descriptive Crises in the Twentieth Century (Volumes I & II), this volume presents the analytical findings of the Project's research in a systematic, integrated form. Focusing on specific issues, themes or controversies, and ranging across macro-and micro-level topics, Crisis, Conflict and Instability explores: the relationship between polarity, stability and crisis, and between system and crisis; the differences between international crises which occur within and outside protracted conflicts; the record of global organization involvement in international crises; regional patterns of crisis management with emphasis on the Middle East and Africa; superpower behavior in international crises and a comparative analysis of their involvement and effectiveness; the effect of structural factors on international crisis behavior; and the "conflict-begets-conflict" tendency with reference to the relationship between perceived threat to values and violent response. The book also includes details of the hitherto unreported crises for the years 1980-1985 and provides an agenda for future analysis in the areas of international conflict and crisis. In so doing, Crisis, Conflict and Instability emphasizes the importance of the scope and content of the ICB Project in a crucial domain of world politics.