“Atzili sheds powerful light on the roots of current international and civil conflicts. His arguments are novel and convincing. This book is essential reading for students of international politics and policy.”

Stephen Van Evera, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Boaz Atzili presents a very interesting, well-researched, and counterintuitive argument that carries important policy implications and should be emphasized in the literature about international security.”

Idean Salehyan, University of North Texas

“Good Fences, Bad Neighbors addresses in a very illuminating and novel way one of the key paradoxes in post–World War II international security: how and why an international norm designed to encourage peace increased, rather than decreased, the level of warfare in at least some parts of the world. Boaz Atzili provides an original and insightful analysis of why in the current international system the weakest states generate the most instances of war.”

Benjamin Miller, University of Haifa

"The international norm of border fixity (or the idea that the forcible annexation of territory is taboo) is thought to contribute to international stability, but Boaz Atzili argues that in some cases it contributes to the survival of weak states, thus creating conditions that make war more likely."

Survival