The United States has entered a period in which like-minded democracies must band together to address the challenges of the 21st century. Democracies such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom must pursue more unified policies when it comes to certain aspects of international affairs, chiefly addressing the regression of economic, political and civil societies of the Middle East. Part of engagement with Western Europe is to understand how the continent has been shaped politically, socially and ideologically.

James Sheehan of Stanford University has published a concise volume that postulates two central arguments: first, that the obsolescence of war is not a global phenomenon but a European one, and is a product of Europe’s history in the 20th century; and second, that the absence of war after 1945 has created a new international system within Europe and a new European State.

The book opens with the militarized culture of Europe in the 1850s, when monuments like the Arc d’Triomphe in Paris, the monument of Frederick the Great in Berlin and Nelson’s Column in London celebrated military glory. It is in this environment Prussian military institutions were transformed and states realized that not only were large standing armies required, but states needed to deploy these armies swiftly into the field. The book delves into different military reforms stimulated by the lessons learned in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. France, Russia, Germany and England would evolve militarily in distinctive ways that were a product of their population, culture and geography.

The book then devotes an entire chapter to the debates between pacifism and militarism that would stimulate two international conferences to discuss the restriction of rearmaments for resources to be spent on economic development. The conference would fail as European nations defined their identities by the colonies they possessed, with Italy making a grab for Libya in 1911, as well as France and Germany almost going to war over the status of Morocco. These examples of feeding off the remnants of the Ottoman Empire would stimulate Greece and the Balkans to undertake wars of independence that would lead to the militarization of smaller European entities like Serbia.

Sheehan ties these strings leading to World War I from the radicalization of the Balkan ethnic minorities who looked to greater European powers for clues as to what could be taken from the ailing Ottomans.

The book then discusses World War I and II, and demonstrates that since 1945, Europeans have been living in an unprecedented period of peace. A chapter argues that the European Union will never be a superpower because of its fixation in avoiding conflict, a product of their tragic 20th century experiences. This book can aid in understanding how to approach U.S.-European relations as a collective and individually and is recommended reading for those interested in European affairs, as well as coalition building.

Editor’s Note: Aboul-Enein also writes for two Navy base papers, the Naval Training Command Great Lakes Bulletin and Naval District Washington Waterline. He wishes to thank LCDR Chap Godbey, USN for his edits that enhanced this review.