Roots Of War

In 'The Roots of War and Terror', Anthony Stevens provides profound insights into the nature and origins of armed conflict. Combining the concepts of the archetype and the collective unconscious (Jungian) with crucial evidence from the behavioural and biological sciences, Stevens exposes war as an ancient propensity rooted in human psychology - particularly in the psychology and anatomy of the human male.Stevens explains what attracts men to the profession of arms and describes the age-old techniques, still used in military training camps, which are necessary to activate the warrior archetype in the masculine psyche. The author sheds light on how leaders persuade populations to go to war and lays bare the unconscious fantasies that could draw us all to final Armageddon.In later chapters in his book, Stevens discusses ways of inhibiting the archetypes of war (through educational policy and admission of women into the citadels of masculine power) of diverting them into less destructive channels.'The Roots of War and Terror' is an indispensable work for anyone wishing to understand the psychological basis of war or hoping to discover ways in which the unimaginable catastrophe of nuclear war could be avoided.'Denial and dissociation, repression and projection enable us to remain cheerfully unconscious. Disguised as defenders of our egos and protectors of our peace of mind, those discreet flunkies are really secret agents in the service of the archetypes of war. Unknown and unrecognised by our fellow citizens, they are the stooges of Armageddon.'

What causes war? How can military conflicts best be prevented? In this book, Stephen Van Evera frames five conditions that increase the risk of interstate war: false optimism about the likely outcome of a war, a first-strike advantage, fluctuation in the relative power of states, circumstances that allow nations to parlay one conquest into another, and circumstances that make conquest easy. According to Van Evera, all but one of these conditions—false optimism—rarely occur today, but policymakers often erroneously believe in their existence. He argues that these misperceptions are responsible for many modern wars, and explores both World Wars, the Korean War, and the 1967 Mideast War as test cases. Finally, he assesses the possibility of nuclear war by applying all five hypotheses to its potential onset. Van Evera's book demonstrates that ideas from the Realist paradigm can offer strong explanations for international conflict and valuable prescriptions for its control.

Azevedo explores how violence has permeated and become almost an intrinsic part of the fabric of the central-eastern Sudanic societies and how foreign interference over the centuries have exacerbated rather than suppressed the violence.

In February 2014, Russia initiated a war in Ukraine, its reasons for aggression unclear. Each of this volume's authors offers a distinct interpretation of Russia's motivations, untangling the social, historical, and political factors that created this war and continually reignite its tensions. What prompted President Vladimir Putin to send troops into Crimea? Why did the conflict spread to eastern Ukraine with Russian support? What does the war say about Russia's political, economic, and social priorities, and how does the crisis expose differences between the EU and Russia regarding international jurisdiction? Did Putin's obsession with his macho image start this war, and is it preventing its resolution? The exploration of these and other questions gives historians, political watchers, and theorists a solid grasp of the events that have destabilized the region.

A New York Times Notable BookAn ALA Notable Book "Original and illuminating." --The Washington Post What draws our species to war? What makes us see violence as a kind of sacred duty, or a ritual that boys must undergo to "become" men? Newly reissued in paperback, Blood Rites takes readers on an original journey from the elaborate human sacrifices of the ancient world to the carnage and holocaust of twentieth-century "total war." Ehrenreich sifts deftly through the fragile records of prehistory and discovers the wellspring of war in an unexpected place -- not in a "killer instinct" unique to the males of our species, but in the blood rites early humans performed to reenact their terrifying experiences of predation by stronger carnivores. Brilliant in conception and rich in scope, Blood Rites is a monumental work that continues to transform our understanding of the greatest single threat to human life.

Written by leading scholars in the field, Causes of War provides the first comprehensive analysis of the leading theories relating to the origins of both interstate and civil wars. Utilizes historical examples to illustrate individual theories throughout Includes an analysis of theories of civil wars as well as interstate wars -- one of the only texts to do both Written by two former International Studies Association Presidents