WRECKONOMICS: WHY IT’S TIME TO END THE WAR ON EVERYTHING

Wreckonomics examines the Cold War, the “war on terror,” the “fight against illegal migration,” and the “war on drugs and crime” through political systems analysis. The book argues that these various “wars” and “fights” have frequently been damaging and even counterproductive-not least because they have been extensively “gamed” by those with varied purposes in mind. It also considers the costs of “laissez faire” and “lockdown” during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that even as success has been loudly proclaimed in various interventions and evidence has been marshaled to support this claim, it is very often precisely the belligerent response that is doing most to fuel the problem. The book argues for a better appreciation of the true costs and benefits of these various wars and fights-and in particular of the way that costs have been unfairly and unevenly distributed. If the habit of fixation and gaming can be set aside, space can be created for the kind of dissent and political dialogue that helps to build alternative coalitions around a proper appreciation of costs.