Transcending the ‘End of War’ Debate: Toward a Mechanism-Centered View on the ‘War on War’
Has war become obsolete? Some argue that macro-historical social processes are leading war into obsolescence, while for others that pattern is explained by the fact that war is a lingering potential outcome of international politics. I argue that both answers reveal a fundamental problem with the de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Brazilian Political Science Association
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Brazilian Political Science Review |
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| Online Access: | https://brazilianpoliticalsciencereview.org/article/transcending-the-end-of-war-debate-toward-a-mechanism-centered-view-on-the-war-on-war/ |
| Summary: | Has war become obsolete? Some argue that macro-historical social processes are leading war into obsolescence, while for others that pattern is explained by the fact that war is a lingering potential outcome of international politics. I argue that both answers reveal a fundamental problem with the debate about the ‘end of war’. The focus on securing predictions about the end of war keeps analyses trapped in either a teleological or nomothetical linearity and overshadows the varied set of contingent mechanisms that allow for non-violent outcomes to prevail in contentious political episodes. The ‘War on War’ could benefit from analyses that asses shifting configurations of mechanisms in power politics. |
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| ISSN: | 1981-3821 |