Endangered Species: How We Can Avoid Mass Destruction and Build a Lasting Peace - Softcover

A scholar and former designer of nuclear weapons, Younger writes stimulatingly and convincingly on the causes of war and terrorism and ways to prevent them. He begins by asking if humans are violent by nature, answering "yes," because war and homicide occur in all cultures, but also "no," because they're rare in some, routine in others. What does history teach? His answer: autocratic governments tend to go to war against the will of the governed; and since "no two democracies have gone to war with one another," their spread will reduce mass violence. Characterizing the U.S. as "a great nation that eschews mass violence, he finds "foreign adventures ill-suited to our national character," despite our current involvement in Iraq. Younger begins his review of solutions to violence by extolling President Bush as a visionary with "a deep personal belief in the benefits of democracy" and the courage to take action "to create an island of democracy" in the Middle East. Sensibly, Younger moves on to specifics, urging America to take the lead in supporting free elections, fighting corruption, promoting the rule of law and encouraging small business, education and agricultural reform to defeat poverty and immunize nations against the siren song of terrorism. (Apr. 10)
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