Question

3. What types of international behavior does power transition theory expect from global powers that are ascendant versus global powers that are in decline? What is the commitment problem in this situation and how does it help to explain the incentives for declining powers to launch a preventive war against rising powers?

Answer 1

Structure of international politics set by rise and fall of leading powers; peace and growth during the conflict and during decline, shift of power raises risk of war between the ascending and the declining powers .

The Commitment Problem: declining state launches as a preventive war because rising state can not commit to preserve the SQ system and the benefits.