War outcomes are unpredictable from force composition comparisons

Evidence

The interaction of what each side will do is terribly complex. It is much easier to measure the “inputs”—what weapons each side has—even though the relationship between these and the outputs is tenuous. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2593

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Prewar party strength does not reliably predict postwar strategy — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past: The…, 148; Initial conditions shape but do not determine contention outcomes across regimes — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 816