An interesting book asking the questions of war and peace. Why do wars start and what causes wars. I found some chapters very informative and others I found hard to read. I'm not sure if I just couldn't work out what he was saying in parts or if he was unclear in his writing. I'm willing to put the blame on myself, having said that some of the concept's that he talks about are obscure. I enjoyed the first chapter "The Peace that Passeth Understanding", where he talks about the "Manchester Creed" and the belief that progress will end war. Something we still hear. I also enjoyed the last two chapters "Australia's Pacific War" and "War, Peace and Neutrality". "Australia's Pacific War" is very original and shows why he is a renowned Historian. It has a lot of information on European wars since 1700 and the book is a good read for that alone. His ideas and research are on display and of value throughout. If your interested in the topic you should read this book. ( )