Christopher J. Coyne on the Truth About War

The standard model of war sees it as a fight between two sides who seek victory and, with it, an end to violence. But war has many more social functions, Christopher J. Coyne points out—economic, political, and psychological. Between them, Coyne writes in his review of the new book Useful Enemies: When Waging Wars Is More Important Than Winning Them, they offer perverse incentives to keep a bloody conflict alive.