This book investigates the structural and strategic conditions that cause localized conflicts to expand into broader international wars. Stacy Bergstrom Haldi, a scholar of international security, utilizes historical case studies and realist political theory to examine how states calculate the risks of intervention. She argues that the decision to widen a war is driven by a combination of predatory expansionism and the necessity of balancing against rising regional powers.

Scholars of international relations recognize this work as a rigorous application of realist theory to the mechanics of conflict escalation. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational text for understanding the strategic logic behind military expansion.