A revised edition of Dyer’s classic book, widely regarded as one of the most compelling analyses of the history of armed conflict.

“War is part of our history, but it is not in at all the same sense part of our prehistory. It is one of the innovations that occurred between nine and eleven thousand years ago when the first civilized societies were coming into being. What has been invented can be changed; war is not in our genes.”

With this provocative statement, Gwynne Dyer launches his brilliant discussion of the history and nature of war. He traces the growth of organized warfare through history, showing conclusively that the basic tenet has remained unchanged — war is an act of mass violence applied against an enemy so that he will do what you want him to do. The only real change has been technological, permitting us to make war on a mass scale.

At the height of the Cold War, just such a global conflagration seemed almost inevitable. But the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the ensuing political changes have forced a re-examination of the accepted fundamentals of history. Will open access to the channels of mass communication create enough shared values that we can move beyond mass warfare? Is the threat of terrorism a red herring designed to preserve the military status quo? Are our traditional military and administrative hierarchical structures still relevant?

Now, more than ever in our post–September 11 world, we need Gwynne Dyer’s expertise to understand the greatest and most human drama — the act of war.

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Product details

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Vintage Canada; Revised Edition edition (Oct. 11 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679313125
ISBN-13: 978-0679313120
Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 2.9 x 23.4 cm
Shipping Weight: 816 g
Average Customer Review: 6 customer reviews
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #283,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7982 in Military History

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Product description

Review

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Dr. Gwynne Dyer is one of Canada’s best known defence and foreign policy analysts." National Post

"The man knows whereof he speaks…. Dyer gives us a highly readable history of human warfare." Times Colonist

“Dyer’s clear language and convincing case building tow the reader along…. I envy Dyer for his optimism. And I envy the generation he envisions who claims victory in its war on war.” Books in Canada

“Provocative, agile and very well argued, with an a-ha! moment on nearly every page.” Kirkus Reviews

“His book is no simple narrative but a web of connections. The text ranges over the terrain of history, sparkling with insight and digressions.… As an interpretive history of war, War is brilliant.” The Seattle Times

From the Back Cover

"Dr. Gwynne Dyer is one of Canada’s best known defence and foreign policy analysts."
—National Post

"The man knows whereof he speaks…. Dyer gives us a highly readable history of human warfare."
—Times Colonist (Victoria)

“Dyer’s clear language and convincing case building tow the reader along….I envy Dyer for his optimism. And I envy the generation he envisions who claims victory in its war on war.”
–Books in Canada

“Provocative, agile and very well argued, with an a-ha! moment on nearly every page.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“His book is no simple narrative but a web of connections. The text ranges over the terrain of history, sparkling with insight and digressions… As an interpretive history of war, War is brilliant.”
–The Seattle Times

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6 customer reviews

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Bill

Excellent read.

March 30, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Extremely well written. A great read of the history of conflict from the dawn of civilization to the present.

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A customer

Excellent update to original 80's book and documentary

December 31, 2004

Format: Hardcover

I was walking through the book store looking for something new when I spotted the book on display. When I saw the author's name I immediately grabbed a copy. I am 95% through the book now and its definately worth buying.
I watched Dyer's documentary series in the 80's and it was the best analysis of War ever made. When I picked up the book I was worried it would just be a copy of the book he published in the 80's with an extra chapter for the 90's. Not so. I can tell he has done a serious rewrite to include more information both historicaly back to the dawn of civilization, and regarding the end of the cold war and its aftermath of today.
If you like Gwynne Dyer's earlier work, or want a real thorough analysis of what war really is pick up this book. There are no slants in this book leaning left or right, which is Gwynne's style.

17 people found this helpful

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Cthulhu Calamari

Extremely Educational

June 20, 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

Very well researched, and writren in an easy to read way, this book is rare in the way it brings up a serious issue without becoming a bummer.

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Jeff Rose

Excellent overview of military history

January 23, 2011

Format: Paperback

I have recently taken an interest in military history, and watched a DVD course about the great battles of the ancient world, but wanted to delve into the subject matter further and get a better grasp for the development of combat beyond ancient times. I wanted to understand how we got from where we left off with the development of pikemen as the primary infantry force on the battlefield and ended up with the modern world. I certainly got that in this book.

Dyer begins his history of war by discussing the nature of combat and what it entails. What causes it and when did it develop? What forms did it take originally for us, and what form does combat take in the lives of our genetic cousins, chimpanzees. He discusses more than I would have expected on the subject of warfare emerging from Neolithic time, and while much of what we know if this people is a picture formed by paleo-archaeology, the picture Dyer paints of the beginnings of humanity and the emergence of war bands is excellent.

As he advances through the ages, he gives examples from many of the major powers of the Western world (and certainly the near-East) and battles that were fought, the arrangements of troops used, and ever so importantly places an emphasis on the discipline and morale-building practices developed by armies, resulting in their increasing levels of professionalism.

I'd go further but my PC just started giving me trouble... Read it. It is well worth the time.

2 people found this helpful

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another reader

Not much is new here

March 29, 2006

Format: Paperback

if you have read the first edition, you will discover that not much has been added to the second.

14 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

August 2, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very good

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War: The New Edition Paperback – Oct 11 2005

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