Dissertation Summary:
Why do some territorial claims erupt in
armed conflict while states are able to prevent others from militarizing?
Scholars have argued that territoriality—or
the propensity for people and societies to occupy, develop emotional attachment
to, and defend land—exacerbates international political crises. However, this research tradition treats
territoriality as a universal characteristic. It therefore cannot account for
variation in how states manage territorial disputes. The dissertation argues that
institutions mediate the expression of territoriality, with some increasing the
odds that a border dispute will spark violence. A large-N study (1946-2008)
examines how different regimes militarize territorial claims. A historical case
analysis looks at how asymmetric information about territorial quality
negatively affects interstate bargaining. The final paper theorizes that
territoriality spuriously correlates with territorial violence. Instead, loss
aversion accounts for the bloodiest border clashes.