Alexander Gillespie is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Professor of Law at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.

• 1. Introduction 1. The Conversation on Sunday Afternoon 2. Utopia 3. Facts 4. Casus Belli in Practice II. Empires 1. Introduction 2. The Formation of Empires 3. The Middle East 4. Greece 5. Rome 6. The Formation of Modern Europe 7. Conclusion III. Migratory Peoples Introduction Egypt India China Rome Further Migratory Peoples in the West to 1000 Byzantium Northern Europe Conclusion IV. Politics Introduction The Near East, Egypt, China and India The Greeks and the Wars for Freedom Rome and the Political Question The Contribution of Christianity The Christian Emperors of the Roman Empire The Return to Monarchy in the West Islam and the Political Question Conclusion V. Religion Introduction Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, Israel and Persia China and India Greece and RomeChristianity Orthodoxy, Heresy and Intolerance The Rise of the Papacy and the East–West Tension The Religious Question between Rome and Persia Islam Islam and Christianity in the East Islam and Christianity in the West Conclusion VI. Conclusion

Review of A History of the Laws of War and The Causes of War, Volume 1…unique and of unquestionable relevance… both works are appreciable for the impressive quantity of the historical and legally pertinent materials gathered by the author. This is useful from the perspective of understanding the background of today’s rules on the recourse to armed force and international humanitarian law.