Conclusions: Peaceful Change and Political Community

Abstract

As the evidence considered in this book suggests, the prevention of wars depends on the capacity of communities to adapt to change peaceably and to regulate their conflicts by peaceful means. In order to do this people and groups have to find ways to reconcile their conflicting interests. This is a central problem in political life, both within states and in the international community. The difficulty in addressing it lies in the fact that there is a permanent conflict of interests between groups, and these interests change over time, so any particular set of social arrangements and institutions will meet the interests of some groups and fail to meet the interests of others.