Territorial Disputes and Interstate War, 1945-1987

This study attempts to measure the relationship between territorial disputes and the initiation of interstate war in the contemporary world. Data for the period 1945-1987 suggest that the existence of an official territorial dispute, where the dispute is contiguous to both sides, is a key variable in determining whether war occurs. War is many times more frequent in cases where states formally dispute the placement of their shared boundary (and the existing boundary lacks standing under international law) than in instances where the boundary is clearly delimited and legally valid.