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Myth: Wars are increasing and becoming more brutal.
Fact: The decade since 9/11 has been the most peaceful worldwide in the past century. No national armies are fighting each other in the world today.
Dear Editor,
Attacks in Afghanistan, an uprising in Yemen, Libyan rebels fighting under NATO airstrikes. Based on these headlines, you might assume that war around the world is worse than it’s ever been. But the reality is just the opposite.
In WINNING THE WAR ON WAR: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide (Dutton; on sale September 15, 2011) the eminent war scholar Joshua Goldstein shows that, despite the headlines, armed conflict is decreasing. Fewer wars are starting, more are ending, and those that remain are smaller and more localized than in past years.
WINNING THE WAR ON WAR is filled with uplifting stories of people achieving peace in the world’s wars. It contains startling observations such as:
· Wars worldwide in the past decade killed half the annual total of the 1990s, a third of the Cold War, and a hundredth of World War II.
· Nuclear weapons are down by three-quarters from Cold War levels.
· No national armies are still fighting each other; all today’s wars are civil wars.
Why does it matter that war is decreasing and peace is succeeding around the world? Because, Goldstein argues, recognizing which strategies have worked to reduce conflict in the recent past can help us know which ones to employ and support in the future.
Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of The Blank Slate and the forthcoming The Better Angels of Our Nature, says “Winning the War on War reveals the greatest untold story of the past two decades – that contrary to popular impressions, war has become substantially rarer and less dangerous… This book could change the understanding of policy makers, opinion leaders, and a wide readership.”
I hope you will consider WINNING THE WAR ON WAR for review or feature coverage. I will be in touch soon to discuss.
Best,
Jamie C. McDonald, Senior Publicist
212-366-2223 | jamie.mcdonald@us.penguingroup.com
© 2011 Joshua S. Goldstein
