Territorial Expansion and Great Power Behavior During the Cold War: A Theory of Armed Emergence

Motin examines great powers’ reactions to the rise of new powers in bipolar international systems by exploring an understudied problem: the rarity of armed emergence after 1945.

The book focuses on Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Vietnam; the few minor powers that attempted to emerge as great powers through force during the Cold War. Geography and existing powers’ reactions are analyzed as the two key factors determining a nation’s attempts at territorial expansion to achieve power on the global pol...