I am 28 years old, and I have been obsessed with the problem of war for most of my life. Raised by a father who served in two wars as a soldier and a mother who lived through two wars as a child, I became determined to solve this problem and end its continuing tragedies.

For the past nine years I have been researching and writing a book called Peaceful Revolution that explains in detail how humanity can move toward global peace and prosperity. Since I am still working on the final revision of this book, which is over 300 pages long and includes references to over 100 sources, it was suggested to me that I take one idea from Peaceful Revolution – the idea of whether human beings are naturally violent or naturally peaceful – and transform it into an essay that could be published in a magazine. This essay ended up being too long to be published in a magazine, however, so it was then suggested to me that I turn this essay into a small book, which became Will War Ever End?

Will War Ever End? is one of the most pressing questions of the 21st century. One hundred years ago people were developing automatic machine guns, and today we have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the planet several times over. Since technology will continue to increase our capacity for destruction, and the demand for nuclear weapons is growing around the world, the question Will War Ever End? can be reworded: will humanity survive or will we destroy ourselves?

As General Omar Bradley said, “Now new weapons have made the risk of war a suicidal hazard….Modern war visits destruction on the victor and the vanquished alike. Our only complete assurance of surviving World War III is to halt it before it starts.”

Although war threatens the survival of humanity and is more dangerous than ever, we cannot answer the question Will War Ever End? unless we first answer deeper questions such as: are human beings naturally violent or naturally peaceful? If human beings are naturally violent and war is truly an inescapable part of human nature, it would be naïve to assume that war could ever end. But if human beings are not naturally violent, then together we might be able to end war.

By answering this and many other questions in this short book, I have laid a foundation for a new understanding of war, violence, and peace that shows not only why war can end, but why it must end. Will War Ever End? discusses the first step on the road toward a global civilization of peace and prosperity, and I hope this first step gives you hope and inspiration, the enthusiasm to make a difference, and the determination to join with others on humanity’s journey to peace.