A Bargain Might Not Exist: How the Distribution of Power Causes War

This paper challenges the conventional wisdom about bargaining and war. If more than two players bargain, or if war can end in stalemate, then a bargain that all actors prefer to war may not exist—even if there are no information problems, commitment problems, principal agent problems, alliance dynamics, or indivisible goods. Existing models generate a bargaining range because they artificially constrain the technology of power. Consequently, current theories constitute only a subset of the possible rationalist explanations for war. This paper suggests how the nature of power, states, and military technology affect the possibility of peace.