Book contents
- Crises, War, and Diplomacy
- Crises, War, and Diplomacy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Text Boxes
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part IFoundations
- Part IIThe Post-Napoleonic Nineteenth Century
- Part IIIThe Twentieth Century through World War II
- Part IVThe Nuclear Era
- Part VConclusion
- 16Patterns
- 17General Lessons
- Methodolocial Appendix
- References
- Name Index
- Subject Index
17 - General Lessons
from Part V - Conclusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 November 2025
Book contents
- Crises, War, and Diplomacy
- Crises, War, and Diplomacy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Text Boxes
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Part IFoundations
- Part IIThe Post-Napoleonic Nineteenth Century
- Part IIIThe Twentieth Century through World War II
- Part IVThe Nuclear Era
- Part VConclusion
- 16Patterns
- 17General Lessons
- Methodolocial Appendix
- References
- Name Index
- Subject Index
Summary
This chapter summarizes the main lessons for diplomacy that we derive from our study. These eight lessons are: 1. A major factor separates the crises that escalate to war from those that do not; in the latter, a strong leader reins in any hard-liners who advocate going to war. 2. Individuals make a difference. 3. Contingency plays a more important role than system structure in determining whether or not a crisis escalates to war. 4. Someone must stand for peace. 5. The secret to preventing war structurally is to find a functional equivalent to war. 6. Norms and rules are important for avoiding war – and, therefore, maintaining peace. 7. War can be avoided; it is not inevitable. 8. The realist concepts of the national interest and balance of power do not always accurately describe the behavior of states.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Crises, War, and DiplomacyLessons for World Politics, pp. 386 - 402Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
Accessibility standard: Inaccessible, or known limited accessibility
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter is known to have missing or limited accessibility features. We may be reviewing its accessibility for future improvement, but final compliance is not yet assured and may be subject to legal exceptions. If you have any questions, please contact accessibility@cambridge.org.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.