Territorial Expansion and Great Power Behavior During the Cold War

Motin examines great powers’ reactions to the rise of new powers in bipolar

international systems by exploring an understudied problem: the rarity of armed

emergence after 1945.

 

The book focuses on Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Vietnam—the few minor powers

that attempted to emerge as great powers through force during the Cold War.

Geography and existing powers’ reactions are analyzed as the two key factors

determining a nation’s attempts at territorial expansion to achieve power on the

global political stage. This systematic investigation of previously overlooked cases

has profound implications for the scholarship on the rise and fall of great powers.

 

In a context where territorial conquest is returning worldwide, scholars studying

international relations, international security, and strategic studies should find

valuable insights in this realist take.