International Security

Winter 2008/09; Vol. 33, No. 3

Winter 2008/09
Vol. 33, No. 3

International Security is America's leading journal of security affairs. It provides sophisticated analyses of contemporary security issues and discusses their conceptual and historical foundations. The journal is edited at the Belfer Center and published quarterly by the MIT Press. Questions may be directed to: IS@harvard.edu.

"The Heart of the Matter: The Security of Women and the Security of States"
Valerie M. Hudson, Mary Caprioli, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Rose McDermott, and Chad F. Emmett

A multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical investigation of the "women and peace" thesis not only proves that the physical security of women is strongly linked to the security of the state, but it succeeds -- more so than the conventional measures such as level of democracy, level of wealth, and preponderance of Islamic civilization -- in explaining more of the variance in the measures of state security. Scholars and policymakers would therefore do best to analyze the security of women when predicting state security and peacefulness.

"Motives for Martyrdom: Al-Qaida, Salafi Jihad, and the Spread of Suicide Attacks"
Assaf Moghadam

The unprecedented proliferation of suicide missions in recent years has resulted in an increase in the number of attacks, victims, countries targeted, and variety of perpetrators. Explanations such as the occupation and outbidding theses alone cannot account for this dramatic increase. Indeed, a comprehensive analysis of 1,857 suicide attacks from the past seventeen years shows that Al-Qaida's evolution into a global terrorist actor and the growing appeal of its ideology, Salafi jihad, are two interrelated factors that contributed significantly to the proliferation of suicide missions. This is the first article to empirically test the argument that many contemporary suicide attacks can be attributed in part to jihadist groups, creating a need for states to rethink their counterterrorism efforts -- and to convey to moderate Muslims and nonviolent Salafists the importance of challenging these groups.

"Spoiling Inside and Out: Internal Political Contestation and the Middle East Peace Process"
Wendy Pearlman

Many peace processes fail in part because of the actions of spoilers, who use violence to maximize their own gains vis-à-vis their external opponents, so the conventional wisdom goes. This explanation, however, ignores the crucial role that domestic politics play in constraining as well as motivating actors to negotiate or spoil. Therefore, interested parties are more likely to negotiate or spoil when they lack a system of legitimate representation; and whether or not internal pressures lead groups to negotiate or spoil depends on actors' policy preferences as well as on the balance of power in the community. Two eras in the history of the Palestine national movement demonstrate that these actors were motivated as much by the conflict with Israel as with the internal dynamics of the Palestinian cause.

"When Right Makes Might: How Prussia Overturned the European Balance of Power"
Stacie E. Goddard

Prussia fundamentally changed the balance of power and politics in nineteenth-century Europe by justifying its expansion in a way that prevented any balancing coalition from forming; that is, it signaled constraint, laid rhetorical traps, and demonstrated its need for ontological security -- arguments that none of the great powers could legitimately counter. In an opposite manner, the United States unsuccessfully justified its foreign policy with regard to Iraq, whereas China carefully framed its foreign policy, which is likely to continue to stave off balancing. Legitimation theory, then, partly explains why states fail to balance in seemingly predictable ways.

"Linkage Diplomacy: Economic and Security Bargaining in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, 1902-23"
Christina L. Davis

The Anglo-Japanese alliance of 1902-23 best illustrates the importance of economic side payments as a method of forming and maintaining an alliance, as well as the impact of domestic factors on constraining the payments. Security concerns often lead a nation to offer side payments to a potential ally, but domestic political constraints, partisanship, and changing strategic needs account for the variation in the economic-security linkage.

Compiled by International Security Staff