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Previous research indicates that a lack of state capacity is a key determinant of internal armed conflict. Scholars identify several internal dimensions of state capacity, but have yet to explore how international finance influences state resources. This is surprising because sovereign lending has increased dramatically in recent decades and plays an increasing role in the functioning of developed and developing governments. In this article, we explore this relationship between a state's integration into global credit markets and its subsequent capacity to promote domestic stability. We argue that international capital increases a state's ability to respond to internal opposition because states with favorable credit terms can expand their resource base beyond domestic constraints to deter, accommodate, or repress opposition while maintaining a level provision of resources to their political base. We examine the influence that both capital access and credit terms have on the risk of civil conflict in 141 countries from 1981 to 2007. Our empirical results indicate that states with affordable credit access are indeed less likely to experience civil conflict.

Montesquieu famously claims that modernity ushered in gentle mores and peaceful relations among countries. Consulting Montesquieu's teaching on Greek foreign policy, both republican and imperial, elucidates the character of these peaceful mores. Montesquieu weaves a modernization tale from primitive ancient Greece to modern commercial states, all to teach the reader to overcome any lingering attachment to glory and to adopt the rational standards of national interest and self-preservation. This account provides important insights on the relationship between realism and idealism in Montesquieu's international relations teaching and helps scholars to rethink how these categories are construed. Adapted from the source document.

Main description: This book is the first ever comprehensive analysis of the scope and role of the exemption clause in Article 80 of the International Sales Convention (CISG). The book accounts for the historical background of Article 80, the relation to other provisions (Articles 77 and 79), the underlying principles and the connection to good faith, and argues that the provision is an expression of the duty to cooperate. Furthermore, the conditions for applying the exemption rule and the legal consequences of application are clarified to the benefit of any practitioner. A chapter on homeward trends points out some of the challenges that Article 80 poses to international uniformity. Extensive comparisons to UPICC and PECL are carried out. The book is relevant to scholars, adjudicators and practitioners alike.