Barbieri and Schneider: Globalization and Peace

Barbieri, K, and G Schneider. 1999. “Globalization and Peace: Assessing New Directions in the Study of Trade and Conflict.” Journal of Peace Research 36:387.

This piece explores the connection between globalization, a synonym for economic interdependence, is or is not a driver of peace. The authors claim that this is a disputed topic, and they present a model that shows that increased interdependence in trade can actually promote less peace. “…critics of the ‘trade promotes peace’ hypothesis argue that economic interdependence may have either a negligible or amplifying effect on international conflict” (387).

Four views of the trade/peace debate are presented. These are the same as Barbieri’s earlier piece.

Table I is a very useful overview of a wide variety of works on the trade/conflict debate (391). These are separated into Expected Utility Models, Cooperative Game Models and Non-Cooperative Game Models.

Table II summarizes the empirical studies of the relationship between trade and conflict.

There is not a consensus as to the relationship between trade and conflict. “What are the origins of the contradictory explanations and evidence regarding the impact of trade on interstate relations?...To date, no compelling theoretical rationale has been offered for why empirical findings differ, other than the fact that scholars pursue very different inquiries, with different samples, data, measures or modeling techniques” (399).