In Man, the State and War, Kenneth N. Waltz claims that for a peace prescription to be valid, it must be based on a proper view of the causes of war. Waltz analyzes the validity of three basic causes of war: man himself, the characteristics of the nation-state, and the international system.I have examined the views of Elder Stephen L Richards on peace and war in the context of the Waltz framework. Elders Richards believed that the failings of men were the primary causes of war. His prescription for peace was widespread acceptance of the Gospel. He disagreed with the Waltz view that men are unchanging and that peace plans based on the reform of men are futile. Elder Richards' views coincided with Waltz' that democracies are more likely to be peaceful than dictatorships. He recognized, too, that aspects of the international system contribute to conflict. Elder Richards was ambivalent, however, about the prospects of the Gospel being accepted by enough people for peace to be established.