
Useful Enemies
When Waging Wars Is More Important Than Winning Them
David Keen(Author)
Yale University Press
Will be published approx. on 15. November 2014
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-0-300-20543-5 (ISBN)
Description
There are currently between twenty and thirty civil wars worldwide, while at a global level the Cold War has been succeeded by a "war on drugs" and a "war on terror" that continues to rage a decade after 9/11. Why is this, when we know how destructive war is in both human and economic terms? Why do the efforts of aid organizations and international diplomats founder so often?
In this important book David Keen investigates why conflicts are so prevalent and so intractable, even when one side has much greater military resources. Could it be that endemic disorder and a "state of emergency" are more useful than bringing conflict to a close? Keen asks who benefits from wars--whether economically, politically, or psychologically-and argues that in order to bring them successfully to an end we need to understand the complex vested interests on all sides.
In this important book David Keen investigates why conflicts are so prevalent and so intractable, even when one side has much greater military resources. Could it be that endemic disorder and a "state of emergency" are more useful than bringing conflict to a close? Keen asks who benefits from wars--whether economically, politically, or psychologically-and argues that in order to bring them successfully to an end we need to understand the complex vested interests on all sides.
Reviews / Votes
'Engaging and readable ... David Keen's findings will be ever-more important as the UK and its allies try to do more with less' Adrian Johnson, RUSI Journal'Keen has written an important book' Sibylle Scheipers, International Affairs
'An important perspective on the most troubling dimensions of recent local and regional wars' Publishers Weekly
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 225 mm
Width: 144 mm
Weight
472 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-20543-5 (9780300205435)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
David Keen is professor of complex emergencies at the London School of Economics. He lives in Oxford, UK.