I got this new edition, not yet available in the U.S., from a friend who recently returned from Europe. In the book's prologue, Kumar makes two disturbing statements that give away his personal bias. First, he mentions a number of historical figures who represented men & women of peace, and he's careful to hit on several religions, except for the conspicuous absence of Judaism (unless you count Jesus Christ, which technically one should...). Surely Kumar can think of at least one Jewish man or woman of peace who lived during the past 5,000 years - Hillel comes to mind, for one. This omission, however, might not have done more than raised an eyebrow, had Kumar not made the following statement: "Jews have persecuted Christians, and Christians Jews." What bothered me was the emphasis, which seems backwards and misleading. Historically, Christians have, as both individuals and in formal groups, persecuted Jews far more than the other way around. If Kumar is thinking of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he should specify "Israelis and Palestinians," not "Jews and Christians." (Most Palestinians are not Christian anyway.) The government of Israel does not reflect the behavior or beliefs of Jews worldwide (or even, necessarily, in Israel) any more than the Weimar Republic reflected Christians worldwide or the Bush Administration reflects all Americans. If Kumar wants to write a book about peace, it seems to me he should be more even-handed and less disingenuous about his own biases.