In quantitative research into the causes of war there is a tradition in asking the question whether there is any systematic pattern in time. Do wars come in cycles? Is there an upward trend in the frequency of warfare or are wars disappearing gradually? In addition, some investigations have been...

This article reflects the feedback of empirical research on theorizing about international relations. The empirical results obtained by both Faber (1987a) and Houweling & Siccama (1988) can be explained by the theory of risky prospects developed by Tversky & Kahneman (1981). As this theory is...