ABSTRACT
A large, extensive literature exists on this subject, much of which specifically attempts to explain the occurrence of war. The problem of squaring Organski and Kugler’s data with current interpretations of the international system lies in the fact that their data measure only the dimension of national productivity, when in fact power may be understood and measured in other ways as well, ways which may be more in accord with widely shared perceptions of the distribution of political power. Since wars involve costs for nations, the postwar consequences of these costs may have profound implications for the way in which elites are able to control resources and the direction in which they attempt to use those they do control. Basic to many conceptions of international politics is the notion of international anarchy. Theorists of the international system usually posit a relationship between the structure of the system and the interaction of states.
