Chirot D., McCauley C. Why Not Kill Them All?. The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder

Princeton University Press, 2006. — 280 p.Why Not Kill Them All?: The Logic and Prevention of Mass Political Murder by Daniel Chirot and Clark McCauley is a well written, interesting, informative, and balanced academic handbook of genocide. Students in an introductory course in ethnic conflict in sociology, political science, or social psychology will find it helpful.
Genocide, mass murder, massacres. The words themselves are chilling, evoking images of the slaughter of countless innocents. What dark impulses lurk in our minds that even today can justify the eradication of thousands and even millions of unarmed human beings caught in the crossfire of political, cultural, or ethnic hostilities? This question lies at the heart of Why Not Kill Them All? Cowritten by historical sociologist Daniel Chirot and psychologist Clark McCauley, the book goes beyond exploring the motives that have provided the psychological underpinnings for genocidal killings. It offers a historical and comparative context that adds up to a causal taxonomy of genocidal events.Rather than suggesting that such horrors are the product of abnormal or criminal minds, the authors emphasize the normality of these horrors: killing by category has occurred on every continent and in every century. But genocide is much less common than the imbalance of power that makes it possible. Throughout history human societies have developed techniques aimed at limiting intergroup violence. Incorporating ethnographic, historical, and current political evidence, this book examines the mechanisms of constraint that human societies have employed to temper partisan passions and reduce carnage. Might an understanding of these mechanisms lead the world of the twenty-first century away from mass murder? Why Not Kill Them All? makes clear that there are no simple solutions, but that progress is most likely to be made through a combination of international pressures, new institutions and laws, and education. If genocide is to become a grisly relic of the past, we must fully comprehend the complex history of violent conflict and the struggle between hatred and tolerance that is waged in the human heart. In a new preface, the authors discuss recent mass violence and reaffirm the importance of education and understanding in the prevention of future genocides.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction
Are We Killers or Peacemakers?Why Genocides? Are They Different Now Than in the Past?
The Four Main Motives Leading to Mass Political Murder
Are Modern Genocides and Ethnic Cleansings Different?
Retribalization and the Modern StateThe Psychological Foundations of Genocidal Killing
How to Get Ordinary People to Become Butchers
Organization
Emotional Appeals: Leaders and Followers
Essentializing Others
The Dangerous Similar Others
The Conditions of GenocideWhy Is Limited Warfare More Common Than Genocide?
Weighing the Costs of Genocidal Conflicts
Limiting the Damage of Warfare
Exogamy: Making the Enemy Part of the Family
Establishing Codes of Warfare and Exchange to Limit Violence
Are Rules of Exogamy, Codes of Honor, and Potlatching
Still Relevant?
The Mercantile Compulsion
Morality and Modesty: Rejecting Certitude
Yearning for SolutionsStrategies to Decrease the Chances of Mass Political Murder in Our Time
State Policies That Reduce Hostility between Groups
Limiting Demands for Justice and Revenge
Modest Solutions and Small-Scale Changes to Promote Tolerance
The Crucial Role of States in Promoting Peaceful Exchanges
Individual Rights and Pluralist HistoriesConclusionOur Question Answered
References
Index