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"A brilliant analysis of societies that appear to be intractably violent, but in fact are not - including our own. A Savage Order is original, penetrating, and filled with gripping history and reporting." - Steven PinkerAn urgent and provocative look at how extreme violence can cripple democracies, including our own, and how they can regain security. The most violent places in the world today are not at war. They are buckling under a maelstrom of gangs, organized crime, political conflict, and state brutality. More people have died in Mexico in recent years than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Such devastating violence can feel hopeless. Yet multiple places once suffused with bloodshed have since recovered. In this powerfully argued and essential book, Rachel Kleinfeld examines why some democracies are so violent, and provides an ultimately optimistic assessment of how others have reclaimed 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 massive violence. She then offers penetrating conclusions about what must be done to build governments that protect all their people. Taking on existing literature and popular theories on 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 what we can do about it.