A Savage Order

How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security

By: Rachel Kleinfeld

Narrated by: Joyce Bean

The most violent places in the world today are not at war. More people have died in Mexico in recent years than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. These parts of the world are instead buckling under a maelstrom of gangs, organized crime, political conflict, corruption, and state brutality. Such devastating violence can feel hopeless, yet some places - from Colombia to the Republic of Georgia - have been able to recover.

In this powerfully argued and urgent book, Rachel Kleinfeld examines why some democracies, including our own, are crippled by extreme violence and how they can regain security. Drawing on fifteen years of study and firsthand field research - interviewing generals, former guerrillas, activists, politicians, mobsters, and law enforcement in countries around the world - Kleinfeld tells the stories of societies that successfully fought seemingly ingrained violence and offers penetrating conclusions about what must be done to build governments that are able to protect the lives of their citizens.

Taking on existing literature and popular theories about war, crime, and foreign intervention, A Savage Order is a blistering yet inspiring investigation into what makes some countries peaceful and others war zones, and a blueprint for what we can do to help.

©2018 Rachel Kleinfeld. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

10 Best Books I’ve Ever Read

This author brilliantly outlines the issues plaguing violent states, as well as those that undermine democracy at large. It is informed by rigorous research, including the author’s substantial personal experience in the field, yet is written in easily understandable language. It ends with a comprehensive list of policy prescriptions to combat violence in societies that are pragmatic and realistically implemented. A very useful work that policymakers, academics in the field, and most importantly politicians of every stripe should read this book and refer back to it regularly when making policy decisions.