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The cover of Destined for War

Destined for War

Graham Allison, 2017

Why a rising China and a ruling United States face the structural stress that led to war in twelve of sixteen cases, and what history suggests could prevent it.

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13 parts, about 31 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Names the pattern in which a rising power threatens a ruling one, and finds war in twelve of sixteen cases over five hundred years
  • Compares Athens and Sparta with Britain and Germany to show how fear and pride, not only plans, push rivals toward war
  • Sketches how a sea clash or trade war could escalate, then draws twelve clues from rivalries that avoided war

Who it is for

  • Readers following relations between the United States and China
  • Students of diplomacy and the causes of great power war
  • Policy minded readers weighing how to manage a rival's rise

What the summary covers

  1. Preface2 min
  2. Introduction2 min
  3. The Biggest Player in the History of the World4 min
  4. Athens vs. Sparta3 min
  5. Five Hundred Years2 min
  6. Britain vs. Germany4 min
  7. Imagine China Were Just Like Us2 min
  8. What Xi's China Wants3 min
  9. Clash of Civilizations2 min
  10. From Here to War2 min
  11. Twelve Clues for Peace2 min
  12. Where Do We Go from Here?2 min
  13. Conclusion1 min

Recommended by

  • Joe Biden46th President of the United States
    Allison is one of the keenest observers of international affairs around.

About the author

  • Graham AllisonHarvard Kennedy School professor and former US Assistant Secretary of Defense
    • He is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he has taught for five decades.
    • He was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina.
    • He earned first class honors in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford and a PhD in political science at Harvard.
    • As founding dean of the modern Kennedy School from 1977 to 1989, he grew a small, undefined program into a major professional school of public policy and government.
    • He directed Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs until 2017.
    • As Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Clinton Administration he received the Defense Department's highest civilian award, the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
    • He has sat on the Secretary of Defense's Advisory Board for every Secretary from Weinberger to Mattis.
    • His first book, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis (1971), has more than 500,000 copies in print.

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