Large parts of the world are degenerating into anarchy, and the consequences are not felt by Americans but by Africans. There's this sense that if your books are readable they must be facile. People who bought 'The Pity of War' expecting tales of life in the trenches would have been shocked. It's very analytical. But I suffer from a compulsion to explain.
History is a public subject, and it only lives if it's read and discussed.
It would have been impossible to do the Rothschild book in five years without research funds. We'd be having this conversation in 2015. Time Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Sign up now for TIME's WorldWatch e-mail newsletter.