Military Power, Conflict and Trade

Wherever international commerce flows in world politics, military power often flows with it - sometimes as a protector of commerce, sometimes as its promoters and sometimes as a tool of aggression against it. How are military power and international trade related? Do military power and commerce expand together or does military power decline as commerce (and perhaps interdependence) increases? Does this relationship vary across countries and, if so how? "Power, Conflict and Trade" is a study of the relationship between military power and international commerce among the Great Powers prior to World War I.