ABSTRACT
The current predicaments of humankind explain the emphasis on conflict research in international studies, but they cannot justify the apparent neglect of cooperation as a topic of international relations research. The future of human life on the planet will depend on whether humankind succeeds in finding some enduring mode of international cooperation. There are also good scientific reasons for a slight shift in focus from conflict to cooperation. First, cooperation is an important aspect of international interactions. In a factor analysis of data on interaction among nation-states, McClelland and Hoggart (1969) found that three different types of interactions were dominating: cooperation, conflict, and participation. Cooperation and participation by far exceed the share of conflict in international interactions (64.5% versus 35.5%). Second, conflict research so far has generated surprisingly few insights into the causes of war among states, as Weede (1983) recently pointed out. He is perhaps correct if he demands a fresh approach to the problem. Taking cooperation into account, that is, looking for 464cooperation-prone rather than war-prone countries, could be a start. Third, from a theoretical perspective, cooperation is an important aspect in studies of war. Levi (1981) argues, for example, that the emerging net of transnational cooperative interactions creates a system of common interests among nation-states that makes any effort endangering this web of interests (most of all wars) increasingly less plausible and hence less probable. However, if this network of interests is not as tight as some appear to believe or if it turns out that some nation-states from the Third World or the Soviet Union have acquired only a peripheral position in this structure, the consequences are quite contrary to those suggested in The Coming End of War (Levi 1981). In short, the analysis of international conflicts, and particularly the study of war, would benefit from a closer look at the structure of cooperation among states.
