Why we fight

£10.99

An acclaimed expert on violence and seasoned peacebuilder explains the five reasons why conflict (rarely) blooms into war, and how to interrupt that deadly process. It’s easy to overlook the underlying strategic forces of war, to see it solely as a series of errors, accidents, and emotions gone awry. It’s also easy to forget that war shouldn’t happen-and most of the time it doesn’t. Around the world there are millions of hostile rivalries, yet only a tiny fraction erupt into violence. Too many accounts of conflict forget this. With a counterintuitive approach, Blattman reminds us that most rivals loathe one another in peace. That’s because war is too costly to fight.

Out of stock

Description

Why do human beings fight one another?

In this exhilarating and bracing book, we learn the common logic driving vainglorious monarchs, dictators, mobs, pilots, football hooligans, ancient peoples and fanatics.

Distilling decades of economics, political science, psychology and real-world interventions, and through his time studying Columbia, Chicago, Liberia and Northern Ireland, Christopher Blattman lifts the lid on the underlying forces governing war and peace.

Why did Russia attack Ukraine? Will China invade Taiwan and launch WWIII? And what can any of us do about it?

‘Captivating and intelligent’ Tim Harford

‘Wise, intriguing, imaginative’ Rory Stewart

‘Nothing could be more relevant today than war and peace . . . an outstanding and original book on this topic’ Martin Wolf, Financial Times

‘Important, readable, radical’ David Miliband

‘A great storyteller with important insights for us all’ Richard Thaler, co-author of Nudge

‘Essential for understanding the world we live in today’ James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail

Additional information

Weight 0.283 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 13.2 × 2.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

400

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

303.66 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K