Just a Phase?: Integrating Conflict Dynamics Over Time

Abstract

Most international conflict research focuses on behavior within a given phase or stage of conflict. Little consideration is given to how actions in one phase affect the dynamics of conflict behavior in subsequent phases. This article postulates several different phases of conflict, gives a numerical overview of past research on those phases, and identifies and assesses several different approaches to integrating those phases, including selection effects, rational choice, path dependency, learning, and issue-centered approaches.