Abstract
In spite of long years of high regime stability with a weak opposition and a dominant non-contested ruler, several authoritarian regimes are now dissolving. We show that in contests with incumbent-challenger turnover i) inequality of power may magnify conflicts, ii) more severe conflicts can go together with lower turnover of incumbents, and iii) power can be self-defeating as cost advantages can reduce payoffs. These three propositions of our paper are contrary to the implications of static conflict models. They follow from incorporating positional dynamics into the standard static approach. Such positional dynamics are relevant for competition in battlefields, politics, and market places.