Why might preventive war appear attractive to a declining state?
A)A rising power will never agree to any bargain short of war.
B)Rising powers historically have always gone to war against declining powers.
C)A rising power will likely acquire WMD in the future,and preemption is the only way to stop them.
D)A rising power cannot credibly commit to not use increased power to make future demands.
E)A war now will eliminate the rising power from ever being a concern in the future.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A declining state might see preventive war as a way to prevent a rising power from acquiring too much power in the future and using it to make demands that the declining state cannot resist. This is because the rising power may not be able to credibly commit to not using its power in the future. Therefore, a declining state might feel that it is better to strike first and eliminate the threat before it becomes too powerful.

Why Might Preventive War Appear Attractive to a Declining State