Description
Book SynopsisAn entirely modern argument for the irrelevance of war as a goal in international affairs.
Trade Review'Nothing is more urgent than the transformation of the anti-war movement into a pro-peace movement. We need an agenda that sets out the alternatives to war that the peace movement can commit to. Rethinking War and Peace offers an outline of where we can begin this process' -- Alan Simpson, MP, UK Chair of Labour Against the War
'A timely and necessary book. It explodes the myth of war's inevitability' -- Martin Bell, OBE, journalist and former Independent MP
'A most useful and inspiring book' -- Naomi Goodman, former president of the Jewish Peace Fellowship
'This is the right book at the right time. The non-violent resolution of international conflict is no longer just desirable -- it has become essential' -- Bruce Kent, Chair of the Movement for the Abolition of War and Vice President of CND
'This well researched and persuasively argued book presents an alternative to the logic and spirit of war' -- Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
'It will come as a surprise to some people but peacemaking requires passion as well as empathy. An overdue pacifist polemic' -- Howard Clark, War Resisters' International council member
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1 Where are we?
Events and realities
Presentation and perceptions
2 What is war good for? Myth and reality
The myth of war
War’s causes
War leaders and their motivations
‘Exhausted alternatives’: the case of Kosovo
War’s efficacy for good
The negative effects of war
Conclusion
3 War, violence and human nature
Power as domination
Violent structures
Us and them
Violence and human nature
The role of culture
Gender and violence
Nature and nurture: changing gender roles
Broader possibilities of cultural change
Psychology and moral development
4 Peace, war and ethics
Ethics, self and society
Ethics and war
Ethics and power
The logic (and illogic) of war
War as justice
Just war theories
The protection of civilians – sliding boundaries
Means and ends: consequentialism
Measuring wider consequences
Sins of omission
Accepting responsibility
Strengthening peace ethics
5 Opposing evil and standing up for good
What about Hitler?
Tyranny and ‘people power’
Nonviolent resistance in recent history
People-power around the world
The strength of nonviolence – building peace
International solidarity
A constructive role for governments in supporting peace ‘abroad’
An answer to terrorism?
People-power to resist militarism and demand peace
6 Peace, identity and participation
From identity to identification
Purposes and values
Participation
Achieving change
7 Time for action
What needs to be done and why
Getting on with the job
Reasons for hope
Notes and References
Index
