Mass murder, ethnic cleansing, genocide, hatred, rage: all these have taken on new meaning for Americans after the horrors of September 11, 2001. But that infamous day was not one on which the world changed. Rather, it was the day the United States joined the rest of the world in a struggle far older than most Americans realize. Suddenly, remote spots like Bosnia or Kosovo have become much easier to understand, places that have faced death and destruction for centuries.

This thoughtful book explores much of the background to the strife the globe faces today. In particular, Christopher Catherwood shows how religion and national pride, which are supposed to be positive forces, can become perverted ideologies that arouse hatred, slaughter, and war.

Religion often has been ignored as a vital component in understanding the awakened forces of nationalism. Catherwood not only helps to correct that imbalance but empowers us to comprehend our troubled world. If we understand our history and experiences, and the ways in which they can be manipulated for evil ends, then we are much better placed to solve the problems that grow from them in the present.