A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security

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...