Arms transfers and international relations theory : situating military aircraft sales in the broader IR context

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Johnson, Richard and Willardson, Spencer (2021) Arms transfers and international relations theory : situating military aircraft sales in the broader IR context. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 39 (2). pp. 191-213. ISSN 1549-9219 (https://doi.org/10.1177/0738894221992034)

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Abstract

Quantitative research on arms transfers has not adequately accounted for broader theories of international relations. We review the specialized literature on arms transfers and examine how arms transfers fit with the broad international relations theories. We derive and test seven hypotheses based on realist, liberal and constructivist theories using a dataset of all non-US/Russian aircraft transfers between 1990 and 2010. We find limited support for realist hypotheses. We find little support for hypotheses derived from the Democratic Peace literature, but some support for liberal trade arguments. We also find some support for constructivist arguments based on shared identity and prestige measures.

ORCID iDs

Johnson, Richard ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9009-2986 and Willardson, Spencer;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)