Why Wars Happen

"A bold and innovative approach to a well-established question. Its principal merit is that it does not restrict itself to examining a few selected case studies or a limited time span, but attempts to survey one and a half millennia of world conflict within a tight analytical framework and compact format."
-Peter Wilson, Department of History, Newcastle University

In this deeply informed book, renowned historian Jeremy Black addresses the crucial question of what causes wars. Bridging history, politics, and international relations and spanning over five centuries, Black marshals an astonishing range of material, venturing to all corners of the globe to shed light on the universalities of conflict.

What then causes wars? Do they reflect the bellicosity of particular societies and states or do they largely arise as a result of the breakdown of diplomatic systems? How are the causes of war related to changes in the nature of warfare, of the international system or the internal character of states? Black regards wars both deliberate and accidental, and analyzes the three main forms of war: wars across cultures, war within cultures, and civil wars. He concludes by assessing the current state of warfare and speculates on where we are heading in terms of future conflicts.