War and Our World

Why do countries go to war? John Keegan, military historian, examines this question in his book, War and our world. In his nonfiction book he writes five essays about the background and reasons for armed conflict. John Keegan, who was disable as a child, didn't have the physical abilities to fight in wars. Therefore, he was a war correspondent who traveled the world. He wrote many articles about wars around the world. Also, Keegan taught British troops about military history. Keegan has the background knowledge to be a military expert. In all of his essays, there were things that I agree with him. In the past diseases such as Typhoid, Cholera, and the Plague all killed millions of people. With better medical care, over the years, there are less deaths from diseases which killed large populations at a time. Soldiers have more chance of dying in warfare than disease. Today war kills more people than disease which should concern leaders. Another thing I agree, there are more opportunity for peace today. Communication is easier today than in earlier times. For example we have telephones, email, and easier travel so governments can meet. In the past, it would take years for leaders to communicate to solve their differences, while armies continued to fight. Just like Keegan, I can imagine that there can be an end to war. I didn't agree with everything that keegan writes. One of those things was that he said that nuclear weapon, you have a small chance of surviving yourself because of the chemicals moving through the air to you that would kill you, too. He also said that countries make the modern war but some countries only go to war if someone attacks them. Then they have to ask the government to go to war to defend them selves. I would recommend War and Our World by John Keegan to anyone who likes military history and politics. Mr. Keegan has lots of knowledge and some interesting viewpoint about armed conflict. Readers might agree or disagree with Keegan's opinions.

1 - War and Our World 2 - The Origins of War 3 - War and the State 4 - War and the Individual 5 - Can There Be an End to War? This book is a transcript from a series of five lectures given by esteemed military historian, John Keegan. It is a short, but highly informative book; I read it in less than an hour. The first four chapters are brilliant historical analysis. His insight into the toll and origins of war are invaluable. He explains well how war relates to the modern nation-state and individual, observing the increasing incidence of war-making by non-state actors. However, when he diverges from history to try to answer the question of can we end war, he is less than prescient. I have a couple problems with the final chapter. First, he seems eager to subjugate national sovereignty to the UN by asserting that war is now illegal, except in cases of self-defense or UN approval. That may be the case in Europe, but here in America, our constitution is still the supreme law of the land. It grants the office of commander-in-chief to the president and power to raise armies and declare war to the congress. Until the constitution is amended to read differently, the US reserves the sole right to determine the legality of our wars. Second, his British sense of honour [sic] can be carried too far. He suggests subversion, sabotage, and assassination are less than honorable in warfare. Our special operations forces must use such tactics against assymetrical threats such as Al Qaeda terrorists. Ultimately, I agree with the thesis of the chapter though: we must always retain the will and means to confront war and violence on equal, if not overwhelming, terms.

The modern master of military history, Keegan's lectures compiled into several short but engaging essays form a book that proves both a quick and interesting read. Keegan's general purpose is to formulate a view on what the role of war in human society is, or at least what it has developed into being. Through the short pages of the book, it becomes quite clear that there has indeed been a wealth of change in this role over the centuries, and understanding that progression is important for gaining an understanding of man.Meeting that goal is something Keegan does well, though I think the book could have benefitted if he had been able to go even deeper into the points he makes just to increase the almost overly brief nature of the book. But even with what is there, despite its brevity, a valuable assesment of man from not only a historical viewpoint, but also an psychological, anthropological and sociological viewpoint is ascertained by Keegan, and it is this multi-disciplinary approach to war and man that give the work its substance.For anyone seeking a truly in depth look at the changing role and place of war in society, I would suggest another of Keegan's works with more academic magnitude, "A History of Warfare" which inquires upon many of the same points. But, for anyone looking for a brief analysis of warfare and the world we live in, I assure you that this title will not leave you disappointed. Another winner for Keegan.

John Keegan is a brilliant military historian, a wonderful writer and has proved so in this very focused and thought provoking book. The book is quite short to begin with, yet it answers some of the most thought-provoking and questions on war that it would take a special author to provide the answers. John Keegan is that author and each chapter delivers focused and consice answers to questions like what are the origins of war? and how does war affect the soldier? John Keegan also predicts what type of war, if any, that we may see in the future. All of his opinions are valid ones and backed by an endless bibliography. Keegan sites many battles, tactics and scientific studies to prove his points. Keegan displays a vast wealth of knowledge on war without actually delving into the battlefield itself.The essays never go off to describe the horrors of battle-and rightfully so. That is not the point of the book. The point of the book is to allow to understand war's bigger picture through modern and ancient combat. I read the book on one lazy afternoon, yet my knowledge of war spanned greatly. I highly recommend this book. You will be very satisfied by reading this book and the information within is very easy to remember. It is important knowledge that Keegan presented and knowledge that I will always retain.

This is a very short book (I read it in one sitting), but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It doesn't delve deeply into the subject, but provides a brief, interesting commentary on war. Keegan is more than well-versed on the subject matter, so even in this brief series of lectures he has a good deal to say. The book is more enjoyable than informative, so if you are looking for hard facts you should try books like Keegan's "History of Warfare".I'd recommend this book to everyone. Since it is so short, there is really no harm in giving it a go. For me, it was quite enjoyable.