Full Description
War and peace are as important as other institutions- science, politics, family, economy, religion, etc.- but rarely receive the same level of sociological attention. Systems of War and Peace covers this gap by presenting a coherent framework for understanding why and how wars start and end; what military organizations are, how they function, and where they came from; plus, how peace has been achieved in the past and how it can be achieved in the future. The balance of topics is intended to provide a sufficient basis for understanding the whole spectrum of violent social conflict and the reasons why some peace efforts have failed and others have succeeded. The second edition has been updated to include recent developments and new topics. Since the first edition in 1994, there have been no international wars, but there has been a host of rebellions, civil wars, interventions, and terrorist attacks. At the same time, some conflicts have abated and peacemaking attempts have been ongoing in many venues. A number of topics neglected in the first edition, such as sexuality in the military, have been added.
Contents
Chapter 1 Preface to the Second Edition Chapter 2 Preface to the First Edition Chapter 3 Institutional Patterns: War as a Social Institution Chapter 4 Peace as a Social Institution Chapter 5 Theoretical Models of War and Peace Chapter 6 International Law Chapter 7 The Contemporary War System Chapter 8 Military Systems:The Origins of Modern Military Organization Chapter 9 Modern Military Organization Chapter 10 Military Culture Chapter 11 Military Technology Chapter 12 Military Success and Failure Chapter 13 The Social Effects of War Chapter 14 Peacekeeping Systems: Peace Projects Chapter 15 Peacekeeping Organizations Chapter 16 Arms Control Chapter 17 Postscript Chapter 18 Appendix: The Analysis of Particular Wars Chapter 19 References Chapter 20 Index Chapter 21 About the Authors
