Since around 1700, humanity has increasingly opposed violence of all kinds, Ohio State policy analyst Mueller argues. For him, war is an idea, like dueling or slavery, that over time became embedded in human behavior, and whose appeal and legitimacy are now in profound decline. Better quality of life, the expansion of democracy, the development of international norms and institutions, and increasingly destructive war-making technologies are major factors. Yet if war is declining, warfare persists in the form of domestic conflicts that Mueller regards as a consequence of inadequate governments. Mueller’s solution proposes to improve states’ policing efficiency and effectiveness, making them better able to deal with what he calls "residual warfare" within their borders. The argument depends heavily on Mueller’s thesis that the various forms of conflict prominent after the Cold War—terrorism, ethnic conflicts, "criminal war" like that still racking the former Yugoslavia—are not wars but policing problems, requiring a constabulary approach. Mueller’s case is essentially semantic, based on a limited definition of war as highly organized conflict between highly developed societies; many of the conflicts he describes as "thuggish remnants" feature sophisticated weapons and make comprehensive use of modern electronics. And what happens if the newly effective states he postulates subsequently turn their attention outward? Mueller’s case finally depends more on inference than evidence.
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"Since around 1700, humanity has increasingly opposed violence of all kinds, Ohio State policy analyst Mueller argues. For him, war is an idea, like dueling or slavery, that over time became embedded in human behavior, and whose appeal and legitimacy are now in profound decline. Better quality of life, the expansion of democracy, the development of international norms and institutions, and increasingly destructive war-making technologies are major factors. Yet if war is declining, warfare persists in the form of domestic conflicts that Mueller regards as a consequence of inadequate governments. Mueller's solution proposes to improve states' policing efficiency and effectiveness, making them better able to deal with what he calls 'residual warfare' within their borders."—Publishers Weekly (July 2004)
"Mueller argues that war is similar to slavery, as both an institution and a belief. As such, major war, like slavery, has been condemned by developed nations and certainly after the Cold War has been used rarely. . . . Well researched and well organized, with clear, original arguments . . . , this thought-provoking piece will have tremendous policy implications as nations, especially the United States, structure their militaries to deal with these smaller policing actions."—Library Journal (August 2004)
"A brilliantly original and urgent book."—Gregg Easterbrook, The New Republic
"It is refreshing to read a book about war that is optimistic and hopeful. John Mueller's The Remnants of War is both of these things. His thesis is that the idea of war is going the same way as the idea of slavery—it is becoming obsolete. . . . He argues that there is evidence that good governance is spreading, and that policing wars are increasingly unattractive."—Claire Thomas, Journal of Peace Research (November 2005)
"Mueller's is a sweeping, multifaceted, and complex argument that speaks to multiple research programs in political science, generates several policy recommendations, and addresses central issues of our time. I found the parts on the decline of major war, in particular, to be absolutely fascinating, and the effort to conceptualize violent conflict on a continuum going from small crime to terrorism to be very stimulating. In short, this is a nice example of a rich and erudite book that speaks to a larger public without sacrificing scholarly thoroughness."—Stathis N. Kalyvas, Perspectives on Politics
"Mueller's book is smart and provocative, and it should inspire a wider examination of how warfare has changed, as a whole, over the last century."—Jeremy Suri, Political Science Quarterly (Summer 2005)
"In this book John Mueller charts the continuing decline of one of the oldest and most important of all human practices. The Remnants of War is a powerful and provocative account of the fate of war in our time."—Michael Mandelbaum, Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy, The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and author of The Ideas That Conquered the World: Peace, Democracy and Free Markets in the Twenty-First Century
"John Mueller has written another extremely stimulating and suitably cantankerous book."—Richard Rosecrance, University of California, Los Angeles
