Determining the Significance of Alliance Athologiesp in Bipolar Systems: a Case of the Peloponnesian War from 431-421 BCE
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Wright State University CORE Scholar Browse all Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2016 Determining the Significance of Alliance athologiesP in Bipolar Systems: A Case of the Peloponnesian War from 431-421 BCE Anthony Lee Meyer Wright State University Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all Part of the International Relations Commons Repository Citation Meyer, Anthony Lee, "Determining the Significance of Alliance Pathologies in Bipolar Systems: A Case of the Peloponnesian War from 431-421 BCE" (2016). Browse all Theses and Dissertations. 1509. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all/1509 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Browse all Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DETERMINING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ALLIANCE PATHOLOGIES IN BIPOLAR SYSTEMS: A CASE OF THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR FROM 431-421 BCE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By ANTHONY LEE ISAAC MEYER Dual B.A., Russian Language & Literature, International Studies, Ohio State University, 2007 2016 Wright State University WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES ___April 29, 2016_________ I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Anthony Meyer ENTITLED Determining the Significance of Alliance Pathologies in Bipolar Systems: A Case of the Peloponnesian War from 431-421 BCE BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts. ____________________________ Liam Anderson, Ph.D. Thesis Director ____________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Director, Master of Arts Program in International & Comparative Politics Committee on Final Examination: ___________________________________ Liam Anderson, Ph.D. Department of Political Science ___________________________________ Vaughn Shannon, Ph.D. Department of Political Science ___________________________________ Bruce LaForse, Ph.D. Department of Classics ___________________________________ Robert E. W. Fyffe, Ph.D. Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School ABSTRACT Meyer, Anthony Lee Isaac. M.A., Department of Political Science, Wright State University, 2016. “Determining the Significance of Alliance Pathologies in Bipolar Systems: A Case of the Peloponnesian War from 431-421 BCE”. The literature proposes that bipolar systems and international systems with nuclear weapons will not have significant issues with alliance pathologies. But are alliance pathologies really insignificant in Bipolar Systems? The problem is that the literature only describes bipolar systems with nuclear weapons, so one cannot discern whether bipolarity or nuclear weapons alone are responsible for the insignificance of these alliance pathologies. So to solve this problem, this paper will examine a bipolar system in Classical Greece during the time of the Peloponnesian War to isolate any possible influence that nuclear weapons may have on alliance pathologies. This will be done using qualitative analysis in the form of an in-depth case study to focus on a total of six allies from the two superpowers – Athens and Sparta. The findings show that alliance pathologies significantly impact alliances in bipolar systems, which better clarifies the role between polarity, nuclear weapons, and alliance pathologies. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABTRACT ................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .........................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................... vi LIST OF ACRONYMS .............................................................................................. vii I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 1) The Research Question ...............................................................................2 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 1) Alliance Pathologies ....................................................................................5 2) International System and Alliance Pathologies .........................................10 3) Nuclear Weapons and Alliance Pathologies ..............................................19 4) Evaluating the Literature............................................................................23 III. RESEARCH DESIGN 1) Variables and Operationalization ...............................................................26 2) Hypotheses .................................................................................................28 3) Case Selection ............................................................................................29 4) Method of Analysis ....................................................................................34 5) Types of Evidence......................................................................................34 6) Peculiarities of Classical Greece ................................................................35 IV. THE SPARTAN ALLIES 1) Section A: Thebes ......................................................................................39 2) Section B: Corinth......................................................................................51 3) Section C: Megara......................................................................................68 V. THE ATHENIAN ALLIES 1) Section A: Samos .......................................................................................80 2) Section B: Chios ........................................................................................91 3) Section C: Mytilene ...................................................................................98 VI. CONCLUSION 1) Recap........................................................................................................108 2) Analyzing the Hypotheses .......................................................................109 3) Conclusion and Foreign Policy Implications ...........................................114 4) Suggestions for Future Research .............................................................122 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................122 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 1: Estimated Total Population and Hoplite Contributions per City-State ...............32 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1: Near Equality in the Multipolar System of 1914 ...............................................14 Figure 2: Near Inequality in the Bipolar System of 1962 ..................................................17 Figure 3: Polarity, Nuclear Weapons, and the Impact of Alliance Pathologies ................25 Figure 4: Dependent Variables and Operationalization .....................................................28 Figure 5: Polarity, Nuclear Weapons, and the Impact of Alliance Pathologies (UPDT) ...... 115 vi LIST OF ACRONYMS CTBT: Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty ExComm: Executive Committee of the National Security Council ICBM: Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile IRBM: Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile JCS: Joint Chiefs of Staff MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction MRBM: Medium-Range Ballistic Missile NPT: Non-Proliferation Treaty SAC: Strategic Air Command SLBM: Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile UN: United Nations US: United States WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis has been the most challenging and rewarding endeavor of my academic career. First, I would like to send a sincere thanks to my thesis committee members, particularly my thesis director, Dr. Liam Anderson, for the many hours of guidance that enabled me to complete this project. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Laura Luehrmann, the director of the International and Comparative Politics program, and Ms. Joanne Ballmann, Administrative Staff, for their dedication and none wavering support for their graduate students during the process. In addition I would like to thank Dr. Greg Anderson of the Ohio State University, Dr. Arthur Eckstein of University of Maryland, and Dr. Bruce LaForse of Wright State University for their help introducing me to the Classics literature for my case study. Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, and colleagues for all their support and encouragement throughout this long process. viii Chapter I “God made man, but Sam Colt made them equal” - Variation of Advertisement from Colt’s Manufacturing Company Introduction This paper seeks to provide a deeper understanding of how Alliance Pathologies (adverse ally behaviors) relate to the International Distribution of Power (the number of great powers) and Nuclear Weapons. So what are Alliance Pathologies? They are behaviors conducted by allies out of their own self-interest that ultimately jeopardizes the overall security of their alliance. Some of these behaviors include: chain-ganging (aggressor dragging its alliance into war), buck-passing (not fulfilling ones commitments), entrapment (being pulled into a war for an ally’s interests), and abandonment (defection) (Christensen and Snyder 1990; Snyder 1984). This study will help establish a framework for scholars and policymakers