Whatever explanations we bring to understanding the causes of war - be it territorial defence, religious zeal or liberation of the oppressed - no rational argument seems to explain fully its persistence. War still seems endowed with mystical legitimacy. In a provocative new book, Blood Rites, the acclaimed American writer
Barbara Ehrenreich tries to interpret this irrational appeal. Presenter Tony Palmer discusses her views and considers other attempts to produce a theory of conflict. Producer Rob Ketteridge
SOUNDING THE CENTURY