Do Accidental Wars Happen? Evidence from America's Indian Wars
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Abstract The question of whether war can ever truly be accidental has been the subject of much academic debate. To provide my own answer to this question, I use an oft-ignored part of US history—the so-called Indian Wars between Native nations and an expanding United States. Specifically, this research innovation makes use of three militarized conflicts of the nineteenth century—the Black Hawk War (1832), the Cayuse War (1847–1855), and the Hualapai War (1865–1870)—to provide evidence that war can indeed occur accidentally. I conclude that IR scholars should be less confident in asserting that accidental war does not happen and that this possibility counsels restraint for policy-makers, especially in emerging domains of conflict.
2015 ◽
Vol 70
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pp. 111-119
2007 ◽
Vol 56
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pp. 199-208
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1977 ◽
Vol 11
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pp. 81-101
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1982 ◽
Vol 15
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pp. 99-123
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2013 ◽
Vol 19
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pp. 466-486
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2000 ◽
Vol 34
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pp. 23-40
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