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Why we fight : the roots of war and the paths to peace / Christopher Blattman.

by Blattman, Christopher.

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War and society.

Social conflict.

Ethnic conflict.

9781984881571 (hc.)

388 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 307-370) and index.

"...Explains the five reasons why conflict (rarely) blooms into war, and how to interrupt that deadly process. Blattman [a prof of Global Conflict Studies at Harris School of Public Policy at University of Chicago] reminds us that most rivals loathe one another in peace. That's because war is too costly to fight. Enemies almost always find it better to split the pie than spoil it or struggle over thin slices. So, in those rare instances when fighting ensues, we should ask: what kept rivals from compromise? 'Why We Fight' draws on decades of economics, political science, psychology, and real-world interventions to lay out the root causes and remedies for war, showing that violence is not the norm; that there are only five reasons why conflict wins over compromise; and how peacemakers turn the tides through tinkering, not transformation. From warring states to street gangs, ethnic groups and religious sects to political factions, there are common dynamics to heed and lessons to learn. Along the way, we meet vainglorious European monarchs, African dictators, Indian mobs, Nazi pilots, British football hooligans, ancient Greeks, and fanatical Americans."

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