Conflict After the Cold War: Arguments on Causes of War and Peace

Wonderful and densed written book, suitable for those who are able to devote some time to go deeper to understand -through theories and philosophical quests on human nature- what are the causes and the effects of our international environment politically speaking and the eternal struggle between war and peace.

This edited volume is one of the best in this genre. Betts makes well-considered decisions regarding inclusions, and as an instructor for an upcoming upper-level undergrad course on War, Peace & Politics, I find these entirely appropriate, thought-provoking/intriguing, and suitably challenging. Why? 1. They span time periods, address the dominant theoretical approaches to war and peace, and offer the chance to read "classics" as well as newer literature; 2. The essays/selections/articles are cross-disciplinary (political science, philosophy, theology/religion, history, sociology, etc.) - enriching the approach to these critical, complex topics; 3. He has chosen articles that are both intellectually challenging and yet accessible; 4. The book is the right length for a 16 week course - no mean feat. If the book has weak spots, one is regarding more completely addressing "peace", including conflict management and resolution. There are other lesser flaws: Huntington's later "Civilization" article is more than a decade old (1996), for example, and the volume already includes his initial "Clash of Civilizations" piece from 1993. Societal security concepts are not well-covered. Articles addressing geopolitical and regional considerations should be included in the selections - the Middle East and oil are notably absent, for example, although there is an essay on China. The near-absence of the role of women in peace efforts in particular, and coverage of the "soft" vs. "hard" power concepts are two other weaker spots. Then again, no book, especially a "reader", is perfect, and instructors will supplement this rich volume with other materials, at any rate. Bottom line: this book is excellent. Bravo to Dr. Betts for this well-executed and valuable 3rd edition.