The contributions to this volume offer crucial insights into the political economy of national security, the causes of war, and the politics of global economic relations.

. . . The bottom line is that this is an important book in the study of trade and conflict because of its comprehensive approach.

To what extent do conditions of governance and politics matter? This book provides the most systematic exploration to date of these crucial questions at the nexus of politics and economics.

In this book Joanne Gowa examines the logic behind this linkage between alliances and trade and asks whether it applies not only after but also before World War II.

DOES CONQUEST PAY? demonstrates that expansion can, in fact, provide rewards to aggressor nations and suggests that the international system is more war-prone than many optimists claim.

"--David A. Lake, University of California, San Diego. "This book is a sorely needed comprehensive empirical study of power, trade, and war. While other studies touch on aspects of this subject, none comes close to the scope of this work.

The Invisible Hand of Peace shows that the domestic institutions associated with capitalism, namely private property and competitive market structures, have promoted peace between states over the past two centuries.

Contributors to this volume consider the state of the political risk insurance industry in the wake of September 11, 2001, the Argentine economic crisis, and other upheavals.

As an informal tour of history and human nature at its most entertaining & instructive, this is sure to be a perennial favorite for years to come.