Why Nations Go to War [Paperback]

John G. Stoessinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0534631479 | ISBN-13: 978-0534631475 | Edition: 9th

Meant to transmit an understanding of warfare from World War I to the present, WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR, a unique book and a product of reflection by the author, is built around ten case studies culminating in the two new wars that ushered in the twenty-first century, Afghanistan and Iraq. The distinguishing feature of the text remains the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations or their following across the threshold into war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Why Nations Go To War" is more than just a book. Words are transformed into living visuals about what happened in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and why. History and the political decisions of our time come alive on these pages, and the author's analysis serves to weave case studies together into a seamless tapestry that moves the reader from confusion to clarity. In its Tenth Edition, "Why Nations Go To War" joins the ranks of a few classic works that combine intellect with a passion that derives from life experiences ranging from the author's struggles as a refugee in World War II to the challenges of a career at the United Nations. His style is amazingly engaging. Students and readers alike will feel as if they are having a conversation with one of the best-informed academics and practitioners in the field of international relations." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. John G. Stoessinger is an internationally recognized political analyst and a prize-winning author of ten leading books on world politics. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and has taught at Harvard, M.I.T., Columbia and Princeton. From 1967-1974, he served as acting director of the political affairs division at the United Nations. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and lectures extensively throughout the world. On the eve of World War II, Dr. Stoessinger fled from Nazi-occupied Austria to Czechoslovakia. Three years later, he fled again via Siberia to China, where he lived for seven years in Shanghai. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Bancroft Prize. He presently serves as Distinguished Professor of Global Diplomacy at the University of San Diego, and has been listed in WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA and WHO'S WHO IN THE WORLD since 2002 to the present.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 9th edition (April 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534631479
• ISBN-13: 978-0534631475
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JOHN G. STOESSINGER

John G. Stoessinger (Ph.D., Harvard) is Distinguished Professor of Global Diplomacy at the University of San Diego in San Diego, California. He has taught at Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, the City University of New York, and Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In 1969 he led the International Seminar on International Relations at Harvard University, and in 1970 he received honorary doctor of law degrees from Grinnell College, Iowa, and from the American College of Switzerland.
Dr. Stoessinger is the author of ten leading books on international relations, including The Might of Nations: World Politics In Our Time, which was awarded the Bancroft Prize by Columbia University in 1963 and is now in its tenth edition. He is also the author of The Refugee and the World Community; Financing the United Nations System; Power and Order, The United Nations and the Superpowers; Nations at Dawn: China, Russia, and America, Crusaders and Pragmatists: Movers of Modern American Foreign Policy; and Henry Kissinger: The Anguish of Power. Dr. Stoessinger also served as chief book review editor of Foreign Affairs for five years and as acting director of the Political Affairs Division at the United Nations from 1967 to 1974. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr. Stoessinger's most current book, Why Nations Go To War, was published in its Tenth Anniversary Edition in February 2007. In May, he was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Drury University.

Dr. Stoessinger's name is included in Marquis's Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World in their most recent editions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perceptions, Morality, and War, November 4, 2001

By 

unraveler "unraveler" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Nations Go to War (Paperback)

This very readable book depicts the leadership dimension of modern warfare. It argues, contrary to the dominant view in International Relations, that individual leaders rather than impersonal objective factors are the main cause that determines whether nations will go to war and whether they will continue to fight it to an irrationally prolonged and destructive extent.

The case studies are interesting. And I discovered a number of new and important facts, despite my Ph.D. in Poltical Science. The case of the former Yugoslavia is particularly well-presented and easy for any non-specialist to understand. As a narrative about events and personalities, the book is indeed outstanding.
At the same time I have to voice certain reservations. Although the book is well-reserched and portrays historical events accurately and vividly, it cannot "prove" its thesis, because... well, it is unprovable. History is not a lab experiment to be conducted at will. We cannot test would would happen without this or that particular leader, all other conditions being the same.

It seems to me (just as it seemed to Voltaire) that it is preposterous that everything in the universe should obey physical laws, while a five-foot-tall creature living on the surface of one tiny planet manipulates history through his perceptions and misperceptions. In fact, Stoessinger's book has a goal that is independent of facts and arguments pertaining to the subject matter--to reassert a moral world-order in international politics and, by extension, in politics in general. My seventh edition has seven case studies; Saddam Hussein is called "the war lover"; both Saddam Hussein and Hitler are "absolutely evil," while Stalin is NOT (ostensibly because Stalin "had a few decent traits, and he did not love war for its own sake," but in reality, because Stalin fought against and defeated Hitler, whose concentration camps Stoessinger had barely escaped). The book ends by emphasizing the importance of "moral courage," especially in "dark times" when "absolute evil" must be confronted. But it seems to me this outlook is precisely what has led the warring parties to misunderstand and dehumanize each other throughout history and to launch wars, whose objective was total annihilation of the enemy. If the other side represents the "absolute evil" to be confronted, there can be no talk of empathy and eagerness for accomodation. Only one thing follows: struggle by any means, victory at any cost. I am not sure that Stoessinger has come to terms with the implications of his own conclusion--in so far as people think about politics in unconditional moral terms, they will always define themselves as "good" and the opposing party as "evil." This is the way it has always been. I don't know if mankind will ever be able to rid itself of war, but as long as the solution is sought in the concepts "good," "evil," and "moral courage" ther will be no progress in internatinal politics, nor in the field of study called International Relations.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could have been better., September 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Nations Go to War (Hardcover)

This book was really quite interesting. Stoessinger writes in a lucid manner, which makes the book a very easy read. However, I have two problems with this book, and after seeing all the positive reviews, I'm sure there are people who will want to hit me on the head for my criticism. Nevertheless, my first problem with this book is its emphasis on the individual as the level of the analysis as well. Stoessinger blames key leaders and individuals as responsible for the various wars addressed throughout this book (ie. WWI, WWII, etc). This seems pretty reductionist to me when there are other levels of analysis to consider as well. To make matters worse, Stoessinger reduces his personal biases against, say, Hitler into a characterization of HItler as "mad." Well, Hitler might have been mad, but there is more to HItler than simple "madness." Second, my problem with this book is that although there are footnotes, Stoessinger purports to see into the mind of leaders such as the Kaiser, Hitler etc. without proving his authority or where he received such personal insights. Oh, I guess I have a third criticism as well. The title of this book is "Why Nations Go to War;" if understanding why nations to go war is the purpose of writing this book, I don't think that devoting one chapter on one conflict (about 20-25 pages) is going to explain why nations to go to war.

On the other hand, this book like I initially wrote, was very interesting. However, to read this book in a vacuum might lead to some pretty big misperceptions about wars in the twentieth century.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On the 9th Edition., May 2, 2005

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Why Nations Go to War (Paperback)

I read the 9th edition of WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR in a college interdisciplinary class about the Problem of War & Peace. The book is divided into ten different sections and covers what it lumps together as 9 major wars (the author considers several small wars as coninuations of other wars): WWI, WWII, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, the Bosnian War, the wars between India & Pakistan, the wars between Israel and Arab countries, Saddam Hussein's wars against Iran & Kuwait, the War in Afghanistan & the American-Iraqi War. The last section of the book provides the authors thesis to the question the title of the book raises, why do nations go to war?

I didn't agree with everything that the author wrote. Also, though the book is heavily researched, there are some errors (for instance, recently released documents have proven that the Chinese were working together with the Soviets during the Korean War and weren't just planning on, but were intending for the U.S. to invade North Korea--it was essential to their military strategy). Despite these disagreements and flaws, I found the book fascinating. It provides a fairly thorough backdrop for most of the conflicts it talks about and though the author's assessments of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are questionable, it still provides for a thought-provoking read.

Stoessinger's general thesis to the question of "why do nations go to war?" is that nations don't actually go to war, but the leaders of those nations do. He seems to contend that it isn't the people of the countries who are necessarily at fault and instead, the people in charge are the ones who should be held most responsible. Though there is some truth to this assertion, blaming any single person for a war is a bit absurd. The American Wild West no longer exists. Nations go to war--not people. Stoessinger seems to believe that except in extreme cases (WW II, Bosnian War) war is unnecessary. I tend to accept a more Hobbesian view of human nature and believe that despite the best human efforts, in the fallen world in which we live, war is inevitable. However, though I disagree, I really enjoyed reading the book and found the epilogue especially moving. Recommened for anyone who has an interest in world affairs and history.