'… understanding why states enter into wars that have, in the last century alone, led to the collapse of empires, the subjugation of great powers and the destruction of man and his environment is essential, if only to mitigate the ruthlessness and danger and not to solve it. In this disciplinary and historical context, Richard Ned Lebow's Why Nations Fight: Past and Future Motives for War offers and argument that, if heeded, should teach theorists and practitioners of international affairs just how and why they continue to find themselves embroiled in conflict year after year. CEU Political Science Journal

Four generic motives have historically led states to initiate war: fear, interest, standing, and revenge. Using an original data set, Richard Ned Lebow examines the distribution of wars across three and a half centuries and argues that, contrary to conventional wisdom, only a minority of these were motivated by security or material interest. Instead, the majority are the result of a quest for standing, and for revenge - an attempt to get even with states who had previously made successful territorial grabs. Lebow maintains that today none of these motives are effectively served by war - it is increasingly counterproductive - and that there is growing recognition of this political reality. His analysis allows for more fine-grained and persuasive forecasts about the future of war as well as highlighting areas of uncertainty.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction
2. Theories of war
Part II. War in the Past: 3. Theory and propositions
4. Data set and findings
Part III. War in the Future: 5. Interest and security
6. Standing and revenge
Part IV. Conclusion: 7. Conclusion
Appendix: data set.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS], Second World War [HBWQ], First World War [HBWN], General & world history [HBG], History [HB], True war & combat stories [BTM]