Volatile States in International Politics

In Volatile States in International Politics, Eleanora Mattiacci recasts canonical, timeless debate in International Relations on how states'' behaviors change. She demonstrates that states do not simply behave toward other states in "stable" or "unstable" fashion. Instead, they often twist and turn between cooperation and conflict in ways that seem inconsistent to observers. Through real-life anecdotes and compelling data visualizations, this book explains where volatility comes from, renewing key debates on the role of trust, escalation, reputation, audience costs, and treaty compliance in international politics.