Useful Enemies: When Waging Wars Is More Important Than Winning Them

<p>There are currently between twenty and thirty civil wars worldwide, while at a global level the Cold War has been succeeded by a &quot;war on drugs&quot; and a &quot;war on terror&quot; that continues to rage a decade after 9/11. Why is this, when we know how destructive war is in both human and economic terms? Why do the efforts of aid organizations and international diplomats founder so often?</p><p>In this important book David Keen investigates why conflicts are so prevalent and so intractable, even when one side has much greater military resources. Could it be that endemic disorder and a &quot;state of emergency&quot; are more useful than bringing conflict to a close? Keen asks who benefits from wars--whether economically, politically, or psychologically - and argues that in order to bring them successfully to an end we need to understand the complex vested interests on all sides.</p>