The Causes of War and the Spread of Peace: But Will War Rebound?

by Azar Gat

Overview

Azar Gat sets out to resolve one of the age-old questions of human existence: why people fight

A marked shift in the balance between these options has occurred since the onset of the industrial age. Rather than modern war becoming more costly (it hasn't), it is peace that has become more rewarding. Scrutinizing existing theories concerning the decline of war—such as the 'democratic peace' and 'capitalist peace'—Gat shows that they in fact partake of a broader Modernization Peace that has been growing since 1815. By now, war has disappeared within the world's most developed areas.

Finally, Gat explains why the Modernization Peace has been disrupted in the past, as during the two World Wars, and how challenges to it may still arise. They include claimants to alternative modernity—such as China and Russia—anti-modernists, and failed modernizers that may spawn terrorism, potentially unconventional.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198795025
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/01/2017
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Azar Gat is Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security in the School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs at Tel Aviv University. His most recent books include: Victorious and Vulnerable: Why Democracy Won in the 20th Century and How It is still Imperiled (Hoover, 2010); and Nations: The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity and Nationalism (CUP, 2013; with Alexander Yakobson). His War in Human Civilization (OUP, 2006) was named one of the best books of the year by the Times Literary Supplement. His books have been translated into Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Turkish, and Hebrew.

Table of Contents

Preface: Why War? The Unsolved MysteryPast Imperfect: Prehistory and History1. When Did It All Begin? 2. Why People in the Evolutionary State of Nature Fought3. The Clash of the State-LeviathansFlaws and Misconceptions in Disciplinary Grand Theories4. Anthropology: Why People Fought (if They Did)5. 1. The Causes of War (or Their Absence) In International Relations TheoryThe Modernization Peace6. Has War Been Declining - and Why? 7. Challenges to the Modernization Peace: Past and FutureConclusion

Editorial Reviews

"It would be a welcome addition to any military history or international relations syllabus lacking an accessible and thought-provoking text on the causes of war....Highly recommended."—CHOICE

"Gat's book is a very well-informed, well-argued and an agreeable to read discussion of the causes of war and the causes of the spread of peace. Though primarily of interest to political theorists working on the subject of war, it may also be of interest to philosopher working on the question of war, especially to philosophers who, rather than engaging in ever more sophisticated thought-experiments, prefer to develop a more general philosophical theory of war." — Norbert Campagna, Ethical Perspectives

"[A]mbitious undertaking..."—David Lorenzo, H-War

"Azar Gat is among the most brilliant of historians of war, with a masterful command of history and biology, and a gift for combining them to provide deep and revelatory insight. War has long been considered an enigma of the human condition, but after reading this book you will feel that you understand it."—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature

"Exhilarating—it makes clear and brave statements rather than hedging contentious matters..."—Sir Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

From the Publisher