The third edition of Geoffery Blainey's highly acclaimed study on the causes of war has been expanded and updated to include a complete discussion of World War II and the road towards nuclear war. Analyzing all international wars since 1700, Causes of War solves the riddle of why some wars are long and some are short and demonstrates how the "outbreak of peace" offers insight into the outbreak of war. Proving that war and peace are alternating phases of a relationship between rival nations, this widely quoted work offers a crucial, new understanding of international armed conflict.