UC Santa Barbara

While international relations has long studied interstate and civil wars, another type of war has been largely ignored. Wars between states and non-state actors outside the state’s territory, or extrastate wars, have not been well studied. This omission is striking given their destructiveness, global importance, and increasing frequency. In this three-paper dissertation, I study the causes and consequences of noncolonial extrastate war. In the chapter, “World Police: How International Order Can Increase Extrastate War” I argue that the international order, and rebel threats to it, can increase a state’s likelihood to fight extrastate wars. In the next chapter, “Is War Declining or Changing? The Consequences of Extrastate War” I focus on the consequences of these wars and how they affect the frequency of interstate wars. Surprisingly, I find that they increase interstate war. Finally, in the chapter, “Attack of the Drones: Drone Possession and Extrastate Conflict” I return to causes but of extrastate conflict, which can include lower-intensity conflicts. I find that acquiring military drones increases extrastate conflict. These chapters use statistical methods, including causal identification strategies, to test these theories. Given the importance of extrastate wars, it is imperative that we better understand them.