PART 1: WARS OF THE WORLD: The world at war: the Twentieth Century proves that World War I was certainly not "the war to end all wars" -- East is East and West is West: the rise of Islamic fundamentalism poses a serious threat to the West -- The War on Terror: September 11 ushered in a new era of war using methods and against enemies unknown before -- PART 2: THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: The Middle East mess: Israel and her neighbors have been at war since 1948: is there any hope for peace here? -- Israel and Palestine struggle for peace: Two peoples with different values, histories, and goals attempt to live side by side on a small plot of land -- Iraq I: the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein: Saddam Hussein vexed the West for years -- Iraq II: ground zero for the War on Terror: the mission of Iraq and the subsequent occupation were a lightning rod for the world -- Sudan: a land divided: Sudan is an ancient land torn apart by geography and religion -- Hot spots in northern Africa: Egypt, Algeria, Syria, and Lebanon confront conflicts at home -- PART 3: CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: Death arount the Horn: On the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia continue to kill, kill, kill -- Insanity in West Africa: West Africa is engaged in an orgy of bloodshed that is almost incomprehensible -- Struggles for Central Africa: things are no better in this part of Africa either -- PART 4: ASIA AND THE PACIFIC: All in the family: North and South Korea: an isolated North Korea continues to be a menace -- Enter the dragon: China: an expanding military, a booming economy, and rampant nationalism are a dangerous mixture -- Cain and Abel: India and Pakistan: now that they have nukes, the stakes are much higher for these bitterest of enemies -- Religious and ethnic animosity in Indonesia: Indonesia might be too big, too heterogeneous, and too populated to govern effectively -- More Asian atrocities: smaller countries in Asia might create some very large wars --PART 5: EUROPE: Trouble in the Stans: Central Asia is one of the most repressive places on the planet -- The Balkan Alps: Sloboban Milosevic unleashed forces of intolerance that he could not control -- The Russian bear: the breakup of the old Soviet Union created a country that wants to prove itself again -- Northern Ireland imbroglio: Somehow, someway, the Protestants, Catholics, British, and Irish people are making peace -- Smoldering European conflicts: in Cyprus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Spain, old conflicts threaten to explode anew -- PART 6: SOUTH AMERICA AND LATIN AMERICA: Columbia in conflict: Columbia is in the midst of a 30-year-old civil war -- Hatred in Haiti: the Duvaliers left a legacy of poverty and dissention in their wake -- More Latin and South American standoffs: Peru, Cuba, Ecuador, and Paraguay fight for stability -- PART 7: NORTH AMERICA: Life in these United States: the United States has gone to war more than any other country in the past century -- Problems for America's neighbors: Mexico and Canada have many problems that might yet become crises -- Give peace a chance: despite it all, there is reason to hope.