Around the world, there are millions of hostile rivalries, yet only a fraction erupt into violence, a fact too many accounts overlook. When hostilities do break out such as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, it's that rare case where factors have forced that most costly of actions, war.
"Unchecked leaders ignore the cost of war," said Christopher Blattman, referring to Vladimir Putin. Blattman's book, "Why We Fight," reminds us that enemies usually are almost always willing to split the pie than spoil it for everyone or struggle over thin slices.
A professor at the University of Chicago, Blattman doesn't just study warring states but street gangs that operate in places like Chicago and Medellín, Columbia.
"We need to understand why gangs are fighting," he told Steve Tarter. Some of the reasons that Blattman has run across include angry vendettas and the need to maintain a reputation.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Blattman ventures that it might turn into another Kashmir, contested territory between India and Pakistan where the parties remain unable to agree on terms but have at least stopped fighting. "That allows kids to go to school again and farmers to plant crops," he said.
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