Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book will focus on the causes of war and preconditions for peace, the main question concerning International Relations (IR) scholarship since its beginnings. It presents the discussion on the causes of violence and war and the possibilities of their prevention at the three levels of analysis the individual, the state, and the international system. The book also focuses on human nature, and after reviewing findings from anthropology and sociobiology, it goes on to discuss results from research in psychology. It looks at inequality and violence at the international level. The book addresses the question of 'good global governance', how it can be theorized and what functions it needs to fulfil to overcome the detrimental effects of anarchy and inequality. It explains the critique of the current global governance literature.