7. What factors do you think have been most important in preserving peace between the great powers since 1945? On the basis of your remarks, do you think that peace is durable, or should we expect another war someday soon?

Explain your reasoning, referring to pertinent historical evidence. Mention specific arguments from relevant literature assigned for this course.

8. What is the future of war? Will warfare be more or less common in the future than it was before 1945? Will it be more or less violent than pre-1945 warfare? In developing your answer, clearly state your factual and theoretical assumptions. (Note: you may wish to offer different answers for different regions of the globe.)

9. This course covers several cases in which national leaders acted on important lessons "learned" from history. Which leaders learned correct lessons and which learned false lessons? What were the prime errors of those who learned false lessons? What explains their errors?

10. Many have seen their own times reflected in the work of Thucydides, drawing similarities between the Peloponnesian War and conflicts they observed first hand. Of the wars studied in this course, which one in your view is most similar to the Peloponnesian War in its causes and conduct? What were the most important common features of the outbreak and conduct of the Peloponnesian War and the one you have chosen? What are the common lessons that can be drawn from them for the conduct of policy? Feel free to note differences as well as similarities between the wars you discuss.