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Title: If we could really learn from history it might start here
Review: Rather than a look at wars in themselves, this is a select history of the events leading up to four particular conflicts, and to one, the Cuban missle crisis, than did not result in direct aggression. The events leading to the disastrous Peloponesian War between Athens and Sparta, and the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome are drawn from ancient history. The origins of 1st and 2nd World Wars serve as the modern counterpoint, as does, in a different fashion, the Cuban episdode during the Cold War.Kagan ultimately finds Thucydides' ancient and eloquent appraisal to be relevant to moderns. That the author elects to not rely on examples from other times or places does not really hamper the thesis. The broader message that Kagan develops concerns the inclinations of large states in relation to one another. That this remains a major feature of the geopolitical landscape makes this book (regretably) relevant.
