The War Trap

By Bruce Bueno de Mesquita

Book Overview

"This illuminating work is a masterful study that delves into the causes of war using a wholly new approach. Utilizing the assumptions of rational behavior, de Mesquita focuses on the perspective of decision making as an attempt to understand the phenomenon of war....The book is highly stimulating...provocative, and certainly quite timely...a superb example of methodological exposition....Likely to appeal to the serious scholar of social science in general and of international relations in particular."-Ghulam M. Haniff, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science "A major work. It is certain to inspire theoretical elaboration and refinement, additional testing of its propositions, and fruitful application. Moreover, it is destined to be considered a classic contribution to the scientific understanding of interstate conflict and war."-Frank C. Zagare, American Political Science Review "Rigorous and insightful analysis....An important contribution to our theories of choice, relevant to all students of politics. The study is an exemplar in its development of systematic mini-theory accompanied by empirical tests of its propositions, completely worthy of emulation by those of us who profess to be political scientists, young and old."-Harold Guetzkow, The Review of Politics "A tour de force of theory, testing, and illustration."-Bruce M. Russett

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300030916
• ISBN13: 9780300030914
• Release Date: January 2017
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Source of Information

This book was very clear and concise in explaining wars and their causes as well as what society can do to rectify the problems. it is both leizurely reading as well as educational. highly recommended.

Excellent Basic theory of Social Computation. Prolix writing

The author develops a quantitative theory of "Marginal Utility" in nations' leaders choosing to go to war. Then the author applies the reserach of others to provide examples, and makes the case that "Marginal Utility" correllates quite well with "confilct initiation decisions." Well thought out and well researched, but the author's stilted language and prolix writing make reading a chore. As with all truely new science, the author is unsure of the most appropriate mathematical constants (Natural log or base 10 log). In the final chapters the author writes to the change in warfare from interstate to intrastate. This shows amazing insight given that this was published almost 20 years ago.