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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I want to be part of this gang, and I feel like I am when I read this series. It is like getting together with friends. Happy to hear there will be more.
As someone who knows a fair bit about peace studies (from a peacekeeping perspective) it was interesting to see the rationale for how conflicts begin (according to Blattman). He names 5 main reasons: unchecked incentives (leaders with no checks and balances), commitment problems (classic Athens-Sparta trap of the rising power vs established one), uncertainty (whether your enemy is bluffing or not), intangible incentives (ideology & beliefs essentially), and good old misperception (mistakes and misunderstandings). Blattman details how these 5 logics underly conflicts that he’s studied.
I think his analysis is good and one lense to view conflict, but it is not all encompassing and lacks a uniting view of why wars start. It is a more analytical than explanatory lense. Rather than “states fight to expand their influence” or “states fight because the ruling class last expand their material wealth to further dominate the working classes” it lists five (fairly loosely) related variables.
What Blattman does well are a few things. Firstly, he explains that the majority of conflicts end in a negotiated settlement (this is due to game theory he explains throughout his book. Secondly, he clarifies that the existence of peace doesn’t always mean the existence of justice, so negotiated settlements aren’t always morally “correct.” Finally, he gives tips on how to create more prosperous and stable societies, which will help prevent war. I think his “ten commandments” for peace in the last chapter are more like ten commandments for sustainable development, which makes peace more likely to hold. Overall, it’s not a bad book and none of his logics are wrong, it’s just not a grand narrative as is desired by many political scientists, but this makes sense as Blattman is an economist
I think his analysis is good and one lense to view conflict, but it is not all encompassing and lacks a uniting view of why wars start. It is a more analytical than explanatory lense. Rather than “states fight to expand their influence” or “states fight because the ruling class last expand their material wealth to further dominate the working classes” it lists five (fairly loosely) related variables.
What Blattman does well are a few things. Firstly, he explains that the majority of conflicts end in a negotiated settlement (this is due to game theory he explains throughout his book. Secondly, he clarifies that the existence of peace doesn’t always mean the existence of justice, so negotiated settlements aren’t always morally “correct.” Finally, he gives tips on how to create more prosperous and stable societies, which will help prevent war. I think his “ten commandments” for peace in the last chapter are more like ten commandments for sustainable development, which makes peace more likely to hold. Overall, it’s not a bad book and none of his logics are wrong, it’s just not a grand narrative as is desired by many political scientists, but this makes sense as Blattman is an economist
informative
Explores war and peace in a systematic and thoughtful way. I enjoyed how case studies were scattered throughout, it was nice to have examples to allow for clearer understanding.
Handwavy, centrist reframing of how prolongued medium-to large scale conflicts emerge, with a dash of Pinkerism for good (not really) measure. Before the last two chapters I was about to award it three stars, but I found myself agreeing with the author's realist, marginal approaches to peacemaking (and interventionism in general, I guess).
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Blattman's a brilliant scientist and statistician. Like his academic work, this accessible book takes a non-dogmatic, evidence-led approach that is undogmatic and grounded in empiricism. His school of thought is hard to pin down, but there is a certain unreflected acceptance of rationality as an epistemology underpinning his approach. Nevertheless, he does not blindly accept the homo-economicus-dogmas of mainstream economic thought; refreshing! Nevertheless, while his academic credentials are top-grade, this book reads at times a tad superficial - especially when he uses (cherry-picks?) historical anecdotes to explain interstate war. I wonder whether his analysis is perhaps exclusively applicable to civil wars and internal conflicts rather than explaining what makes states go to war.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is a hidden diamond of 2022 non-fiction. Christopher Blattman argues that peace, rather than war, humanity's default condition. The costs of war are too high and the paths to peace are difficult but plenty. He outlines the causes of war such as unchecked power, want of glory, uncertainty, commitment issues and lack of information. The second half discusses the conditions for peace such as accountability, intervention, rules and enforcement, interdependence, dialog between competitors and decentralized power. The final section is prescriptive, outlining what the reader can do to support peace building projects. The text is highly readable and perfectly structured making it suitable for casual readers and students alike.