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Ways in which the scope of UN operations can be expanded beyond their traditional role as an interposition force following a ceasefire. Including election supervision, humanitarian assistance, naval peace-keeping, illegal drug trade interdiction, and arms control verification.

This article seeks to predict and explain when the process of national independence is accompanied by military conflict. In order to account for military conflict in 121 cases of national independence from 1816-1980, a LISREL model (with multiple indicators) with the following variables is employed: (a) the intrinsic importance of the territory gaining independence, (b) the specific importance of the territory to the former sovereign, (c) the relative power decline of the former sovereign, and (d) international norms at the time of the independence. All variables but the first are statistically significant, and the model accounts for half of the variation in the incidence of military conflict. The international norms variable was found to be the strongest predictor of military conflict. Implications for theory and policy are discussed.

Throughout history, conflict has more often been rooted in territorial concerns than abstract political goals. Drawing on new data, the article describes and classifies territorial changes involving at least one recognized nation-state over the period 1816-1980. Among the dimensions analyzed are the type and process of change, as well as the contiguity, area, and population of the territory involved. Analyses of violence and territorial change are also conducted. Territorial changes most likely to involve violence include those involving major powers and those regarded as more "important" (e.g., contiguous, large area, noncolonial).

This study investigates the validity of different indicators of resources allocated to the military that are commonly used in conflict research. The various indicators are first described and then evaluated on four criteria for face validity. The convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity are then assessed according to the results of various statistical tests. A common hypothesis that conflict involving "overallocating" states is more likely to escalate to war is examined using all indicators under consideration. Implications and suggestions for conflict research are discussed in the conclusion.

This study, which analyzes trends in major-power military allocations since the early 1800s, finds that while the base size of national armies has increased, new population resources have been channeled less and less into military manpower. A ratchet effect upward in capital allocations to the military across four different historical epochs is evident. Overall, there are proportionately more military personnel (26.8 percent) relative to total population among major powers now than in 1816; economic growth currently produces almost 30-fold the allocations of 165 years ago. Most of the increase can be attributed to the effects of inflation, technological changes, and the continuance of wartime defense burdens.