On Wars

Written by Michael Mann

Narrated by Eric Jason Martin

A history of wars through the ages and across the world, and the irrational calculations that so often lie behind them

Benjamin Franklin once said, "There never was a good war or a bad peace." But what determines whether war or peace is chosen? Award-winning sociologist Michael Mann concludes that it is a handful of political leaders-people with emotions and ideologies, and constrained by inherited culture and institutions-who undertake such decisions, usually irrationally choosing war and seldom achieving their desired results.

Mann examines the history of war through the ages and across the globe-from ancient Rome to Ukraine, from imperial China to the Middle East, from Japan and Europe to Latin and North America. He explores the reasons groups go to war, the different forms of wars, how warfare has changed and how it has stayed the same, and the surprising ways in which seemingly powerful countries lose wars. In masterfully combining ideological, economic, political, and military analysis, Mann offers new insight into the many consequences of choosing war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350853902

Michael Mann

Michael Mann is a world-renowned director, screenwriter, producer, and one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema. Mann has written and directed award-winning television movies and series (including Miami Vice and Crime Story) and feature films including Manhunter, The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, The Insider, Ali, and Miami Vice. He has produced numerous feature films, including Academy Award-winner The Aviator (directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett) and directed several commercially successful, critically acclaimed projects including the feature film Collateral (starring Tom Cruise) and the pilot for the HBO series Luck (starring Dustin Hoffman). Mann has won many prestigious awards, including a BAFTA for Best Film (The Aviator), a Golden Globe for Best Picture/Drama (The Aviator), and an NBR Award for Best Director (Collateral). Mann lives in Los Angeles.