Why Nations Fight: Past and Future Motives for War

by RichardNedLebow (Author)

• New

  Hardcover
  2010

  $153.74

  Four generic motives have historically led states to initiate war: fear, interest, standing, and revenge. Using an original data set, Richard Ned Lebow examines the distribution of wars across three and a half centuries and argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, only a minority of these were motivated by security or material interest. Instead, the majority are the result of a quest for standing, and for revenge - an attempt to get even with states who had previously made successful territorial grabs. Lebow maintains that today none of these motives are effectively served by war - it is increasingly counterproductive - and that there is growing recognition of this political reality. His analysis allows for more fine-grained and persuasive forecasts about the future of war as well as highlighting areas of uncertainty.

• New

  Paperback
  2010

  $28.45

  An explanation of the frequency of war and its specific causes and consequences, first published in 2010.