Considering the simplistic view now prevalent - simply abuse war and soldiers at all times and by all means, and eventually both of them will disappear like exorcised demons - this serious, well-considered, scholarly study is a breath of sane air. Kagan shows that war, whether or not it is inherent in human nature, has been a feature of human society for thousands of years' and has deep economic, racial, social and ideological roots. He delves into that still tortured question, on the moral responsibility for the first
World War, and the long build-up to the second, but also goes back to ancient history for the Pelopennesian War and the Punic War tween Hannibal and Rome. The Cuban missile crisis - a near miss - is also considered and placed in its proper context. A book that should encourage some realistic debate in an area choked with wishful thinking and Politically Correct pieties.