When opponents cooperate

About this book

Many theorists agree that the bipolar structure of the Cold War allowed a certain stability in world politics that, with the demise of the Soviet Union, is now missing. Does this mean that we can expect greater instability because of this structural transition from bipolarity to multipolarity? Or should we feel reassured that changes on the state level such as democratization and transition to market economies are occurring in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and to some extent, the Soviet successor states, thereby promoting peace? When Opponents Cooperate resolves the issue by formulating a new theory of international relations that integrates state-level and structural-level analyses. The key is to focus on intended and unintended outcomes of cooperation and conflict. Unintended outcomes are those that are more cooperative or more conflictual than what the actors initially wanted and occur frequently in the course of international politics, particularly during times of crisis. Miller tests the validity of his arguments in a variety of situations, though he emphasizes postwar recent events in the Middle East. While his argument will appeal to international relations theorists, his in-depth accounts of great power crisis and cooperation in the Middle East will be of particular interest to security and foreign policy specialists.