Testing Theories of Convergence in Bargaining to end Military Conflicts

Student: Rekla Simon

Supervisor: Andrej Krickovic

Faculty: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Educational Programme: Master

Year of Graduation: 2014

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The Principle of Convergence developed by Branislav Slantchev states that opposing parties learn while simultaneously bargaining and fighting, through both battlefield events and negotiations, about the relative distribution of power between them. Once convergence is reached, warfare loses its informational content and negotiations will bring an end to the conflict. This Master’s thesis tests Slantchev’s model, which is designed for interstate wars, against two intrastate wars, examining the principle itself as well its applicability to today’s important intrastate wars. While these findings suggest that the overall logic that negotiations lead to a quicker resolution of conflicts through exchange of information regarding the distribution of relative power is sound, it is of limited use in examining intrastate wars. Additional parameters are needed to adequately examine the intricate reality of intrastate wars.</span></p>

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