Why Some Wars Never End

In a celebrated calculation, the Swiss historian Jean-Jacques Babel estimated that in approximately 5,500 years of documented history, the world has known a meager 292 years of peace. Whereas war is apparently never ending, we think of individual wars as beginning, spanning a certain number of years, and then ending. In fact, many parts and peoples of the world have experienced virtually endless wars—or, at least, wars of remote origin and long duration, spanning several generations.

This book examines those conflicts, concentrating both on their origin and principal episode or episodes. It goes into depth about why and how these wars continued for as long as they did and what the residual effects were. Fourteen wars are presented in chronological order, in chapters illustrated with archival images gathered from around the world.  

They are:

1. Persian Wars (449–448 BC)

2. Punic Wars (264–146 BC)

3. Jewish-Roman Wars (66–135 AD)

4. Hundred Years War (1337–1453)

5. Ottoman Wars in Europe (1423–1669)

6. Polish Wars (1600s–1900s)

7. Seminole Wars (1817–1858)

8. Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1919)

9. Balkan Wars (1914–2001)

10. The Sudanese Civil War (1955–2005)

11. The Vietnamese Struggle (1945–1975)

12. Guatemala Civil Wars (1960–1996)

13. Israeli-Arab Wars (late 19th century–ongoing)

14. U.S. War on Terrorism (2001–ongoing)