Publication

This paper explains why inter-state and boundary conflicts in South and Central America persist, and why they rarely reach the level of full-scale wars. The paper outlines the dimension of this puzzle, addresses the issues of warfare and boundary disputes and asks whether democracy is the solution. The authors argue that the structures of the South and Central American international system, their distant relations to the global system and the procedures and institutions of inter-American relations explain the infrequency and short duration of inter-state wars.