The origins of the First World War have eerie parallels to the present. Will war again be an inevitable outcome of the changing balance of power and entangling alliances? In this timely book, top international relations experts ask whether nations today can better control their destinies as China rises and challenges the global order and the world lurches toward new conflicts. -- Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University None of the leaders who drifted into war in August 1914 would have done so could they have foreseen the world of 1918. In this thought-provoking volume, distinguished observers and participants in international affairs assess the origins of that catastrophe and its important lessons for the future. -- Henry A. Kissinger What can World War I, a devastating conflict that no state wanted to happen, teach us about how to prevent a twenty-first-century war in Asia? In this book, an all-star team of historians and international relations scholars review the origins of World War I and highlight important lessons for the U.S. and China, including watching out for allies and building cross-cutting alliances and regional concerts. Should be required reading in Washington and Beijing. -- Susan L. Shirk, Ho Miu Lam Professor of China and Pacific Relations, University of California, San Diego This is an unusually rich and insightful collection that offers a convincing as well as thought-provoking discussion of why war broke out in 1914 and lessons that might be drawn for the future of U.S-China relations. It suggests that much more will depend on the sagacity of our future leaders than on any recurring patterns of the past. -- Zara Steiner, Emeritus Fellow, Murray-Edwards College, University of CambridgeRichard N. Rosecrance is Director of the U.S.-China Relations Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he is also adjunct professor of public policy. Steven E. Miller is director of the International Security Program at the Belfer Center. Steven E. Miller is director of the International Security Program at the Belfer Center. Jack Snyder is the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia Universit