Power, Parity, and Place: Why Forgetting the Loss-of-Strength Gradient Misses the Relative Power Relationship

Patrick Hulme, Erik Gartzke, Alex Braithwaite, Lauren Gilbert, University of Florida, Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, University of California San Diego, Department of Political Science, La Jolla, The University of Arizona, School of Government , Public Policy, Renaissance Philanthropy

Journal of Conflict Resolution

Published online on August 01, 2025

Abstract

Journal of Conflict Resolution, Volume 70, Issue 4, Page 559-588, April 2026.
Students of international relations continue to debate the role of power as a cause of conflict. In particular, there exists no consensus about whether power parity or preponderance is more likely to trigger militarized disputes. Generally overlooked in ...