Cox (political science, Texas Christian U.) compares different outcomes in cases of enduring state rivalries involving repeated military confrontation over significant periods of time in order to identify the factors that lead to their cessation or continuance. Relying on an informal rational learning model, he argues that termination of rivalries only occurs when one or both states experience a major failure, often accompanied by changes in political leadership, in meeting foreign policy and domestic expectations that leads to a revised foreign policy outlook and thereby creates bargaining space for the rivals. He evaluates the theory by examining Israeli relations with Egypt and Syria from 1967 to 1980 and Peruvian relations with Chile and Ecuador from 1879 to 1932. Annotation ⓒ2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)