Fornari emphasizes that war and violence develop out of a "love need:" our wish to preserve and defend the sacred object to which we are attached. "Nations," of course, are the sacred objects that most often generate warfare. Fornari focuses upon SACRIFICE as the essence of war: this astonishing willingness of human beings to give over their bodies to the nation-state. If you are doing research on the psychology of war and warfare, this is the book to read first.