ABSTRACT
A fundamental transformation is underway in the structure of the international political system, with changes in both the definition and the distribution of power in world politics. But the precise extent of those changes and their implications for the conduct of foreign affairs remain unclear. The contributors to this book draw upon a common data base to provide the most current assessment available of the relationships among power, alliance, polarity, and international conflict in today's emerging world system.
Introduction: Polarity and War -- The Causes of War: Systemic Findings -- Power and Polarity in the International System -- The Polarity of the System and International Stability: An Empirical Analysis -- Capability Concentration, Alliance Bonding, and Conflict Among the Major Powers -- Polarization: Towards a Scientific Conception -- Bipolarity, Multipolarity, and the Threat of War -- Alliance Aggregation, Capability Distribution, and the Expansion of Interstate War -- Nuclear Weapons and War-Choice Decisions -- Beyond Bipolarity: The Potential for War
