Welcome,   If one were to take a walk around George Square, asking students of politics or international relations on this campus what they hope to do with their degree, many students I know, many of you reading this now, with a sheepish grin for fear of sounding trite, might answer something like “because I want to do my part in building a more peaceful world.”   This issue also comes at a particularly potent moment to discuss issues of war and peace. The centennial of the First World War provides an opportunity to ask uncomfortable questions. Though formal global empires have crumbled, do we live in a world free of imperialism? Though we now have a United Nations tasked with providing a forum capable of maintaining peace, is the world a more peaceful place? Has the likelihood of Great Power war actually diminished?   By exploring questions of war making and peace building, inevitably, we must ask, what causes war? Is violence innate to mankind and empathy something we must impose upon ourselves? If institutions like the United Nations cannot impose an order of peace on the world, can ideational forces? Can religion? In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God.” In Muhammad’s Last Sermon, Muslims are implored to “Hurt no one so that no one can hurt you.” How, then, do we make sense of 35 Christians killed in bomb blasts in Baghdad churches on Christmas Day, 2013? How can we explain the slaughter of 22 Muslims fleeing violence in the Central African Republic on 19 January by a Christian militia?   This issue takes a critical look at how wars are fought, how, or if, peace is built, and whether or not any individual  can actually make an impact. The cover of this issue, a cavalry charge by the Royal North British Dragoons (The Scots Greys) at the Battle of Waterloo, is an 1881 painting by Lady Elizabeth Butler called ‘Scotland for Ever.’ The image screams nationalism, it romanticises war, and conjures an image of heroism in the face of death. We chose to feature it because the painting was used in propaganda by both the British and Germans in the First World War. That seems a fitting irony for a look into the hypocrisy and terror of war. This glorious image of Scots charging to battle, dressed in the regalia of Empire seems quite removed from the political reality of early 21st century Scotland. As we debate Scotland’s constitutional future and place in the world ahead of next September’s referendum on the question of Scottish independence. In anticipation of the referendum, Leviathan will publish our third and final instalment of the 2013-14 academic year, featuring a broad analysis of issues in the referendum debate by students, academics, and politicians. We hope that it can serve as a non-partisan, academic, voter’s guide on all policy areas touched by the possibility of an independent Scotland.   Thanks to the Department of Politics and International Relations and the Politics and International Relations Society for their continued generous support of Leviathan. Additionally, as our loyal readers may have noticed, this is the first issue of Leviathan ever to partner with another Society here at the University of Edinburgh. We would like to thank the European Union Society, our partners for this issue, for their contributions. Additionally, we very much appreciate the contribution of John Clifford, friend of the EU Society, and Austrian Honorary Consul to Scotland. Finally, I would like to thank all student-staff members of Leviathan and all students who contributed to this issue. The issue you have before you represents their capabilities and hard work.   Yours,   Maxwell Greenberg, Editor in Chief