Commerce and Conflict

Professor Sebastian Rosato, from the University of Notre Dame, will give a presentation at the MIT Security Studies Program's Wednesday Seminar.

Summary: What is the relationship between commerce and conflict in international affairs? In this seminar, Professor Rosato will present his research that shows great powers have a powerful incentive to use force in order to establish or maintain commercial relations because commerce — trade and investment — is a source of power and security. Whether or not they act on their incentives is largely a function of the balance of military capabilities between them and their targets. The theory offers a simple explanation for the course of three multilateral great-power competitions: the Great Game (1830-1907); the Scramble for Africa (1870-1914); and the Scramble for China (1832-1945).