The Arc of War
eBook - ePub

The Arc of War

Origins, Escalation, and Transformation

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Arc of War

Origins, Escalation, and Transformation

About this book

In this far-reaching exploration of the evolution of warfare in human history, Jack S. Levy and William R. Thompson provide insight into the perennial questions of why and how humans fight. Beginning with the origins of warfare among foraging groups, The Arc of War draws on a wealth of empirical data to enhance our understanding of how war began and how it has changed over time. The authors point to the complex interaction of political economy, political and military organization, military technology, and the threat environment—all of which create changing incentives for states and other actors. They conclude that those actors that adapt survive, and those that do not are eliminated. In modern times, warfare between major powers has become exceedingly costly and therefore quite rare, while lesser powers are too weak to fight sustained and decisive wars or to prevent internal rebellions.
 
Conceptually innovative and historically sweeping, The Arc of War represents a significant contribution to the existing literature on warfare.

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Yes, you can access The Arc of War by Jack S. Levy,William R. Thompson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Military & Maritime History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Copyright
  3. Title Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. List of Tables and Figures
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Chapter 1. The Evolution of War
  9. Chapter 2. The Origins of War
  10. Chapter 3. Evolutionary and Coevolutionary Processes
  11. Chapter 4. The First Two Agrarian Warfare Accelerations
  12. Chapter 5. The Third Evolutionary Acceleration
  13. Chapter 6. The Coevolution of the Western Military Trajectory
  14. Chapter 7. Nonwestern Military Trajectories
  15. Chapter 8. The Coevolution of War, Past and Future
  16. Notes
  17. References
  18. Index