Arms Races: Technological and Political Dynamics (International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO)) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803982216 ISBN 13: 9780803982215

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 1990

Synopsis

What factors drive arms races? What role does military technology play in arms build-ups? How have arms build-ups differed under various political systems? Arms Races combines deep theoretical analysis with extensive empirical studies to provide readers with an in-depth understanding of the issues involved in the arms race. The contributors consider the driving forces of the arms races, a major area of research and debate within peace studies, strategic studies, and international relations. They focus both on internal factors to the dynamics of the arms races--such as bureaucratic politics, inter-service rivalry, and the military-industrial complex--and on external factors, such as long term economic trends and interactive arms dynamics between the two superpowers. Existing case studies of the development of strategic weapons systems and the many quantitative studies of the causes and consequences of the arms race are extensively reviewed. "Anyone wanting to get access to the state of the art could not do better than to start with this one. It gives a thoughtful, wide-ranging and constructive criticism of the whole attempt to understand arms racing. A very useful book...It should be particulary welcome to those seeking a way into a large and scattered literature, and to those trying to find coherent teaching material." --International Relations and Organizations "The Gleditsch introductory overview is extremely useful--the sort of article that students with an essay to do on the topic would kill for....an extremely useful collection of papers on a topic which is likely, unfortunately, to be of enduring interest." --Pacific Research

About this title

Review

`This is a worthwhile volume because it (a) makes more accessible perspectives from Northern Europe, providing a counterpoint to viewpoints shaped in the United States; (b)presents a number of informative studies of internal sources of militarism, arms build-ups and weapons acquisitions; and (c) raises provocative, important issues in methodology and knowledge acquisition. Clearly, this collection warrants consideraion by serious students of arms races′ - Armed Forces and Society

`A combination of theory, empirical data, and comparative analysis, this book is a must for every person interested in the arms race.′ - Charles C Moskos

`Taken together, the volume appears to exhaust the field of possible alternative explanations of the armaments dynamics, in addition to which it contains a comprehensive bibliography.′ - Non-Offensive Defence

`There is a need for a book that pulls the subject together, and anyone wanting to get access to the state of the art could not do better than to start with this one. It gives a thoughtful, wide-rangingg and constructive criticism of the whole attempt to understand arms racing.... It should be particularly welcome to those seeking a way into a large and scattered literature, and to those trying to find coherent teaching material.′ - International Relations and Organizations

`The Gleditsch introductory overview is extremely useful....an extremely useful collection of papers on a topic which is likely, unfortunately, to be of enduring interest. - Pacific Research an extremely useful collection of papers on a topic which is likely, unfortunately, to be of enduring interet. - Pacific Research

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803982216
• ISBN 13: 9780803982215
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432
• Editor: Gleditsch Nils Petter, Njolstad Olav