This dissertation looks at one of the most important questions facing political science, and indeed all of humanity, today: is major war a thing of the past? Various scholars have advanced the hypothesis that great power war is "obsolete" for decades, but here at the dawn of the 21 st century there is reason to believe that it may finally now be correct, due to development in three crucial areas: in the technology of war and of communications; in the socio-economic foundation of society; and, most importantly, in the norms which give structure to international society. If the most powerful states are not willing to fight each other when their most vital national interests are at stake, then perhaps there is no casus belli for which they would be wining to go to war. Since for today's industrialized states, access to energy-producing natural resources is at the top of the list of vital interests, then the place to begin an investigation into the future of major war would seem to be in three cases of international interaction in areas rich in energy-producing natural resources---the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, and the Pacific Rim. The overwhelming conclusion is that major war is highly unlikely in these regions, and indeed quite improbable for the coming century. This seemingly obvious conclusion is not reflected by the current state of theory or practice of international politics. The final chapter is the beginning of an attempt to put the revolutionary idea that major war might be obsolete into its proper context.
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