I Wouldn't Start from Here

Book excerpt: Mueller wanders the world's failed states, ravaged war zones, and desolate no-man's-lands to comprehend why we snatch war from the jaws of peace, why so much that can go wrong does go wrong, over and over again (Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and others), and how some conflicts suddenly, quietly, inexplicably seem to find themselves solved (Northern Ireland, Albania, Abkhazia).Rather than offer a plaintive cry of ''why can't we all get along,'' Mueller observes that for the most part, people get along just fine; extremist minority groups are the major culprits. Yet it's a surprisingly sunny book given the mire in which he finds himself. Mueller's journey is an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the world's moral basements, in which he meets influential panjandrums (Al Gore, Gerry Adams, Bono, Paddy Ashdown), any number of assorted warlords and revolutionaries, and a sprinkling of peacemakers and do-gooders. He also manages to get shot at a couple of times, locked up once, and taken on a guided tour by one of the world's most infamous terrorist organizations.