Peace Through Recognition: An Interactionist Interpretation of International Crises

The outbreak of war is usually explained in terms of utility-maximizing behavior on the part of statesmen and states. In this article, I propose an alternative model for explaining war, which focuses on the struggle for recognition. As I will argue, wars are not only motivated by a pursuit of utility maximization but also by the quest to gain recognition for the identities and norms of respect to which domestic and international lay claim. As I will demonstrate in two case studies, peaceful management of international crises depends heavily on the capacity of actors to engage in politics of recognition.