I read his book while at Uni (and his 'On the Origins of War'). Quite interesting to see him lecture.
Basicly he rejects Thucydides main contention that the war was 'inevitable'. He thinks that Pericles was trying to avoid war in the Epidamnus dispute, if not with Corinth at least with Peloponessian League as a whole. He would also contend that WW1 was not 'inevitable' and in 'On the Origins of War' compares WW1 with the Peloponessian War as opposed to WW2 with the Second Punic War. The point is that he regards WW2 as continuation of WW1 and the Second Punic War similarly a continuation of the first.
Basicly he rejects Thucydides main contention that the war was 'inevitable'. He thinks that Pericles was trying to avoid war in the Epidamnus dispute, if not with Corinth at least with Peloponessian League as a whole. He would also contend that WW1 was not 'inevitable' and in 'On the Origins of War' compares WW1 with the Peloponessian War as opposed to WW2 with the Second Punic War. The point is that he regards WW2 as continuation of WW1 and the Second Punic War similarly a continuation of the first.
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