Meant to transmit an understanding of warfare from World War I to the present, WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR, a unique book and a product of reflection by the author, is built around ten case studies culminating in the two new wars that ushered in the twenty-first century, Afghanistan and Iraq. The distinguishing feature of the text remains the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations or their following across the threshold into war.