This book advances a new theory of why nationalism emerged in the modern world. In particular it explains why nationalism and economic development are closely linked, and why warfare plays a crucial role in the spread of the nation-state system. It is based on qualitative and quantitative...

"After more than a century of recurring conflict, the countries of the Asia-Pacific region have managed something remarkable: avoiding war among nations. Since 1979, Asia has endured threats, near-miss crises, and nuclear proliferation but no interstate war. How fragile is this “Asian...

Food was a critical front in the Cold War battle for Asia, "Where Communism goes, hunger follows" was the slogan of American nation builders who fanned out into the countryside to divert rivers, remodel villages, and introduce tractors, chemicals, and genes to multiply the crops consumed by...

The world food problem -- Mexico's way out -- A continent of peasants -- We shall release the waters -- A very big, very poor country -- Parable of seeds -- You can't eat steel -- The meaning of famine -- The conquest of hunger -- Present at the recreation