This article examines a two-stage model of asymmetric conflict based on
the classic Colonel Blotto game in which players have, in the first stage, the
ability to increase the number of battlefields contested. It thereby
endogenizes the “dimensionality” of conflict. In equilibrium, if the asymmetry
in the players’ resource endowments exceeds a threshold, the weak player
chooses to add battlefields, while the strong player never does. Adding
battlefields spreads the strong player’s forces more thinly, increasing the
incidence of favorable strategic mismatches for the weak player.
JEL Classification: C72, D74
Keywords: Asymmetric Conflict, Multi-battle Conflict, Colonel Blotto
Game, Stochastic Guerilla Warfare, Endogenous
Dimensionality