ByshiftingAmericansecuritypolicyawayfrommaximizingmilitarypowerfortheUnitedStatesandtowardmaximizinghumansecurityforall,policymakersandcitizenscanalsomaximizenationalsecurityfortheUnitedStatesandsustainablepeacefortheworld.Whydowarandpoliticalviolencepersist?Politicalrealistsarguethatviolentconflictandthestruggleforpowerareinherentintheinternationalsystem,andthereislittlewecandobutmanageit.However,asRobertJohansenarguesinthispath-breakingwork,thereareotherwaysforward.InWheretheEvidenceLeads,Johansendevelopsan“empiricalrealist“theorytoenabletheUnitedSatestorespondmoreeffectivelytorisingsecuritythreats.Together,peaceresearchandsecuritystudiesshowthatmoresecuritybenefitsarelikelytoresultfrommaximizingthe“causes“orcorrelatesofpeacethanfrommaximizingmilitarypower.Ironically,aglobalgrandstrategyforhumansecurity,withnationalsecurityfoldedintoit,islikelytoproducemoresecurityfortheUnitedStatesthananationalsecuritystrategy.Peacereignswhenstatesimplementpeacecorrelates,whichrangefromaddressingallnations’securityfearstomakinglifemorepredictablethroughbetterglobalgovernance.Thisapproach,respectfulofforgotteninsightsfromHansMorgenthauandothers,revolutionizesthinkingaboutnationalsecuritypolicybybringingitintoahumansecurityframework.Theanalysisshowsthattheanarchic,militarizedbalance-of-powersystemcanbegraduallychangedwithhelpfromenhancedlawmaking,enforcement,andgovernancecapacities.Thisthought-provokingbookbuildsbridgesbetweenpastpolicies-manyofwhichhavefailed-andmoredeftwaysofhandlingnewrealitiesthatfocusonbuildingpeace.Inaworldofthreats,thisbookopensdoorsontoafutureofsustainablepeace,security,andhope.
