A three-thousand-year history of the world that examines the causes of war and the quest for peace. In three thousand years of history, China has been at war for at least eleven centuries. The Roman Empire was in conflict for at least 50% of its duration. Since 1776, the United States has spent over a hundred years in war. The dream of peace has been universal in human history. But why have we so rarely succeeded in achieving it? In "A Political History of the World," Jonathan Holslag has produced an extensive history of the world, from the Iron Age to the present, exploring the causes of conflict between empires, nations, and peoples as well as the efforts of diplomacy and cosmopolitanism. An aerial view of three thousand years of history, the book illuminates the forces shaping global politics from Ancient Egypt to the Han dynasty, the Pax Romana to the rise of Islam, the Peaceful Agreement of Western Europe to the creation of the United Nations.

This truly global approach allows Holslag to seek patterns across different eras and regions and to explore larger questions about war, diplomacy, and power. Has trade promoted peace? What are the limits of diplomacy? How does environmental change affect stability? Is war a universal sin of power? In times when the threat of nuclear war is resurfacing, this is a much-needed history intended for students of international politics and anyone seeking a background on current events.

Pages: 656, Dimensions: 11.1x11.1cm