Economist and political scientist Christopher Blattman, in his book “Why the World Fights. Causes of Hostility and Paths to Reconciliation,” invites readers to try to understand the reasons behind world wars and the ways they can be prevented. The book was recognized as the best history book on Amazon’s website, and many scholars and historians around the world recommend reading it. Here are some interesting facts and ideas from the book: • One of the main causes of global conflicts is insufficient knowledge of the enemy’s military capabilities, which prevents an objective assessment of the situation; • If the opposing forces are roughly equal, wars may end in the first few days; • Often opponents artificially create an atmosphere of uncertainty and display staged ferocity and readiness for extreme measures, which does not reflect reality. This is common even in the wild: frightening sounds, hissing, bared teeth. And today it takes the form of weapons testing, freezing the enemies’ bank accounts, and military parades. A captivating and deep analysis of a hundred modern and hundred-year-old conflicts allows the author to argue that war is not a chain of mistakes and emotional decisions. There is logic in decision-making, strategies, ideology, and other forces from which all global conflicts arise.