The Causes of Peace

Book excerpt: Almost a decade after Steven Pinker published his seminal book The Better Angels of Our Nature and popularised interest in the idea that humanity is becoming more peaceful, the debate is as heated as ever. Attempting to summarise current conclusions on what actually causes peace, this book unites many of the world's greatest thinkers on the sources of human conflict. Debate over whether the world is getting more peaceful is followed by commanding discussions of the influence of hegemony, democracy, ideology, nuclear weapons, and institutions. Featuring Niall Ferguson, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Ned Lebow, Bruce Russett, Paul Collier and many others, The Causes of Peace: What We Know Now provides uniquely qualified insight into the present status of this age-old question. An authoritative guide to the state of the art, this book is of interest to all students of human conflict.