War: How Conflict Shaped Us

War has shaped humanity’s history, its social and political institutions, its values and ideas. Our very language, our public spaces, our private memories, and some of our greatest cultural treasures reflect the glory and the misery of war. In this installment of People, Politics, and Prose with Ron Granieri, Granieri will speak with noted author Margaret MacMillan about her now book, War: How Conflict Shaped Us. Granieri and MacMillan will explore such much-debated and controversial questions as: When did war first start? Does human nature doom us to fight one another? Why has war been described as the most organized of all human activities? Why are warriors almost always men? Is war ever within our control? These questions and yours will guide conversation. People, Politics, and Prose with Ron Granieri features in-depth conversations with authors of recent books on international affairs and national security. Moderated by FPRI’s Ronald J. Granieri, each session will build on the book’s contents to discuss the author’s influences and motivations, relating everything to current events to elicit broader understanding of the geographical, political, and historical context of our contemporary world.