At least since 1750 when Baron de Montesquieu declared "peace is the natural effect of trade," a number of economists … and political scientists espoused the notion that trade among nations leads to peace. Employing resources wisely to …. Specialization based on comparative advantage leads to gains from trade. If political conflict leads to a diminution of trade, then …

inverse trade-conflict relationship, but is the opposite of the conclusion reached by Gartzke et al. (2001), who reject the … opportunity costs as the basis for the inverse trade-conflict relationship, thus implying that one need not rely on signaling. …