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Defense Cooperation Agreements and the Emergence of a Global Security Network

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  • Kinne, Brandon J

Abstract

Bilateral defense cooperation agreements, or DCAs, are now the most common form of institutionalized defense cooperation. These formal agreements establish broad defense-oriented legal frameworks between signatories, facilitating cooperation in such fundamental areas as defense policy coordination, research and development, joint military exercises, education and training, arms procurement, and exchange of classified information. Although nearly a thousand DCAs are currently in force, with potentially wide-ranging impacts on national and international security outcomes, DCAs have been largely ignored by scholars. Why have DCAs proliferated? I develop a theory that integrates cooperation theory with insights from social network analysis. Shifts in the global security environment since the 1980s have fueled demand for DCAs. States use DCAs to modernize their militaries, respond to shared security threats, and establish security umbrellas with like-minded states. Yet, demand alone cannot explain DCA proliferation; to cooperate, governments must also overcome dilemmas of mistrust and distributional conflicts. I show that network influences increase the supply of DCAs by providing governments with information about the trustworthiness of partners and the risk of asymmetric distributions of gains. DCAs become easier to sign as more states sign them. I identify two specific network influences—preferential attachment and triadic closure—and show that these influences are largely responsible for the post-Cold War diffusion of DCAs. Novel empirical strategies further indicate that these influences derive from the proposed informational mechanism. States use the DCA ties of others to glean information about prospective defense partners, thus endogenously fueling further growth of the global DCA network.

Suggested Citation

  • Kinne, Brandon J, 2018. "Defense Cooperation Agreements and the Emergence of a Global Security Network," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(4), pages 799-837, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:72:y:2018:i:04:p:799-837_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Kong, NGUYEN To Hong, 2021. "State-to-state Trust in Post-leadership Change: Case Study of China-Japan Relations, 2009-2019," OSF Preprints hdbcy, Center for Open Science.
    2. Hulvey, Rachel A, 2022. "Cyber Sovereignty: How China is Changing the Rules of Internet Freedom," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt7sg3716k, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    3. Brandon J. Kinne, 2020. "The Defense Cooperation Agreement Dataset (DCAD)," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 64(4), pages 729-755, April.
    4. Rafiq Purnama & Yoedhi Swastanto & Surryanto Djoko Waluyo, 2021. "Indonesia-Germany Defense Diplomacy in Military Education Cooperation," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 23(1), pages 807-822, September.

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