Why do states arm? And why do they, sometimes, do so together with other states? International relations and security studies scholars have long explored the causes that propel states to arm. However, the extant literature has yet to provide a coherent theoretical framework to explain arms production and collaboration. Drawing from work in eclectic theorizing, this article contributes a systematizing, integrative perspective. States arm, and sometimes arm together with other states, for a variety of reasons, often with very diverse theoretical roots and origins; frequently, causes mix, mingle, and intertwine. Two case studies serve as building blocks for our eclectic theory, illustrating and buttressing our framework. A study of Brazil’s KC-390 military transport aircraft demonstrates the value of eclectic theorizing in explaining arms production. European (fragmented) collaboration to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft documents the benefits of applying an eclectic theory of arms collaboration augmented with a “domain of application” approach. That is, explanations rooted in particular theoretical traditions apply and play out strengths in specific domains, and may thus complement one another to generate comprehensive explanations. Among numerous other promising domain differentiations, we distinguish here between “high-end” and “low-end” arming. Our findings have important policy implications. If states’ arming, alone or with others, is multicausal, then no single policy alone will suffice to channel, control, limit, or reduce the proliferation of weapons.

中文翻译：

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为什么国家武装以及为什么有时他们一起这样做


国家为什么要武装？为什么他们有时会与其他国家一起这样做？国际关系和安全研究学者长期以来一直在探索推动国家武装的原因。然而，现有文献尚未提供一个连贯的理论框架来解释武器生产和合作。本文借鉴了折衷主义理论研究的成果，提出了系统化、综合性的观点。出于各种不同的原因，国家武装起来，有时甚至与其他国家一起武装，这些原因往往具有非常不同的理论根源和起源；经常导致混合、混合和交织。两个案例研究是我们折衷主义理论的基石，说明并支撑了我们的框架。对巴西 KC-390 军用运输机的研究证明了折衷理论在解释武器生产方面的价值。欧洲（分散的）合作开发第六代战斗机记录了应用折衷的军备合作理论和“应用领域”方法增强的好处。也就是说，植根于特定理论传统的解释适用于特定领域并发挥其优势，因此可以相互补充以产生全面的解释。在许多其他有希望的领域差异中，我们在这里区分“高端”和“低端”武装。我们的研究结果具有重要的政策意义。如果国家单独或与其他国家的武装是多重原因的，那么单靠单一政策就不足以引导、控制、限制或减少武器扩散。