This book, written for fellow peacemakers and peace campaigners around the world, is therefore not only a study but also an argument: my small but necessary contribution to what I see as the daunting but all-too-urgent project of global transformation – the fundamental change so desperately needed by humanity and our planet. Unless we take a more radical approach, we shall not get beyond fire-fighting and the seemingly endless task of reconstruction. Unless we transform the way we think about conflict, human relationships, and what it is to be successful, our very life as a species is under threat. Our field is going through a time of intensive self-scrutiny.6 The phase that began with the Soviet collapse has ended. For too many years we were caught up in the calamitous policies and actions that followed the events of 11 September 2001 in the US, and there were signs that a new Cold War was beginning. Then the advent of a new US president brought new hope. Our field can be credited with many important achievements, which should be recognised and set out. The value of its work will continue. At the same time, we have come to recognise our limitations.