Keen investigates why conflicts are so prevalent and so intractable, even when one side has much greater military resources. He asks who benefits from wars-- whether economically, politically, or psychologically-- and argues that in order to bring them successfully to an end we need to understand the complex vested interests on all sides.

Introduction -- Resource wars -- Aiding resource wars? -- Vietnam: useful enemies and useless allies -- Afghanistan -- The political functions of war -- Wars within wars -- The politics of permanent emergency -- Case study of a permanent emergency: the United States -- Shame and the psychological functions of violence -- Conclusion.