A comparative analysis of peaceful contiguous dyads

In this study, it has been focused on dyads of contiguous states that are characterized by stable pacific relationships. These have been given less scholarly attention compared to war-prone dyads, which creates a gap in our understanding of dyadic conflict dynamics. To address this gap, this research focuses here on the dynamics of variables that foster conflict within pacific dyads in order to locate what differentiates them from war-prone dyads. This study also seeks to locate variables that can help explain why these dyads are pacific. In line with this objective, it was examined a random sample of eight contiguous dyads among the thirty-three peaceful dyads that have avoided fighting an interstate war with one another within the duration of their interaction. These case studies have been analysed by applying a 'model of structured, focused' comparative analysis that provides an opportunity for an extensive evaluation to clarify the common and different aspects of contiguous dyads. The findings of this study demonstrated that an asymmetric dyadic distribution of military capabilities in a dyad plays an important role in decreasing the possibility of war occurrence, even in the presence of a territorial dispute. Furthermore, joint membership in international organizations also reduces the war-proneness in a dyad, which increases the positive interaction between them. Lastly, a common colonial history is associated with dyads of ex-colonies avoiding military conflict with each other. The findings indicate the importance of increased scrutiny in the characteristics of pacific dyads in addition to that of dangerous dyads. Keywords: Dyadic Level of Analysis, Dangerous Dyads, Pacifism, Interstate Peace, Peaceful Contiguous Dyads.