Does issue indivisibility cause war?
Takeaway Points
- An indivisible issue is something that cannot be adequately divided (who is king of a country or who controls an island, for example).
- If states cannot effectively bargaining because issues are indivisible, then war can result.
- However, states can make side payments to resolve the indivisibility and avoid war.
- Thus, we treat issue indivisibility as a rationalist explanation for war in theory but not in practice.
