Warfare governance

Kendall Stiles

Chapter 2 in Understanding Global Governance, 2026, pp 22-51 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter reviews the emergence of rules and institutions to govern when and how governments engage in interstate war. In particular, it explains the “revolution in military affairs” of the 1700s, the idea of warfare as an extension of diplomacy, and the radical departure from these norms following World Wars I and II. I also address the limits of idealistic measures adopted in the first half of the twentieth century when applied to the real world of the Cold War and beyond. In the process, it becomes clear that many rules on warfare are effective because they involve mutually beneficial, reciprocal deals between states, while other, more ambitious rules generally fail as the great powers find the need to violate them.

Keywords: Revolution in military affairs; Balance of power; Limited war; Total war; Intervention; Collective security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035358496
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