Beyond the dyad: How networks of economic interdependence and political integration reduce interstate conflict

The complexity of international relations has created pressures for new approaches to studying state behavior. States rarely act independently, but are instead increasingly influenced by the actions of others. The study of international politics should therefore not be restricted to monads or dyads, but should instead consider patterns of interstate relations that cross political and economic boundaries. This dissertation applies the theories and methodologies of network analysis to the study of militarized interstate disputes. It argues that strong network relationships can reduce interstate conflict---albeit with important caveats.;Two types of international networks are examined: one based on interstate trade, the other on international organization (IGO) memberships. Trade and organizations are both central components of classical-liberal prescriptions for peace, and each network exerts unique causal effects. Trade networks act on the material interests of states, while IGO networks affect states through ideas and social influence. This dissertation therefore combines analysis of both interests and ideas. Current literature often treats these two concepts as antagonistic, but I argue that they in fact share the same theoretical foundations.;Whether defined in terms of interests or ideas, networks are social structures, and they therefore constrain some actions and enable others. Hypotheses on the relationship between trade networks and militarized conflict are developed in terms of the logic of opportunity costs, expanded to three levels of network influence: triadic, group, and systemic. IGO-network hypotheses are based on the same three levels, but are developed in terms of theories of social influence and group membership. These hypotheses are then subjected to a series of empirical tests using a directed-dyad dataset for the years 1950-2001. The results show that greater participation in trade and IGO networks at all three levels encourages interstate peace. There are instances, however, in which networks exacerbate conflict, most of which involve peripheral states and/or highly asymmetric network relations.;The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the combined effects of IGO and trade networks. It briefly applies these insights to the Arab-Israeli conflict, showing that the impact of international networks is both real and substantial, even in seemingly irresolvable disputes.