This section contains links to popular or recommended articles related to the anti-war movement and peace and social justice in general.
NEW!
Parallels and Precedents: A Survey of the Pretexts, Provocations, and False Flag Operations Used to Start America’s Wars
By Paul W. Rea, Ph.D.
Chapter 1 from Dr. Rea’s forthcoming book, Mounting Evidence , an examination of the full range of 9/11 issues.
Articles
The 'Long War' quagmire
By Tom Hayden
Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2010
America Is Moving Toward Czarism and Away from Democracy, By David Sirota
SFGate.com, January 24, 2009
World Social Forum 2009: A Generation’s Challenge, by Geoffrey Pleyers
Open Democracy, January 29, 2009
Disaster Capitalism: State of Extortion, By Naomi Klein
The Nation , July 21, 2008
Recommended
Books
This section contains books on peace and social justice issues.
America in Peril
by Bob Aldridge ; foreword by David Ray Griffin
Hope Publishing, May 1, 2008
This book is a wake-up call for Americans. Aldridge points out that many developments since 9/11 have moved us toward fascism and discusses in detail secret detentions, military commissions, extraordinary renditions, torture, the loss of habeas corpus, the PATRIOT Act, extraordinary military spending, unprecedented government secrecy and claims for presidential authority--all in the name of national security. He says, ''All that is needed is a 'catastrophic emergency' to set the wheels of martial law in motion. 9/11 illustrates how easily such an emergency can be orchestrated.''
An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire
by Arundhati Roy
South End Press, September 15, 2004
In this fine collection of speeches and essays, Roy stridently argues against
the global injustice of imperial democracy, narrow-minded nationalism, corporate
fascism, the military industrial complex, privatization, and the ideology
of those who would bomb civilians as part of a war campaign with unparalleled
passion, clarity and rhetorical flare. Hers is a voice confronting the powers
of empire.
Approaches to Peace : A Reader in Peace Studies
by David P. Barash
Oxford University Press , USA , July
29, 1999
Approaches to Peace provides a unique and interdisciplinary sampling
of classic articles and short literary selections focusing on the diverse
aspects of peace and conflict studies. Readings cover the causes of war and
proposed means of preventing it, so called negative peace, and also reflect
upon the universal concern for positive peace. The material examines nonviolence
movements, peace movements, religious inspirations, and our future prospects
for peace.
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated]
by Jeremy Scahill
Nation Books; Rev Updated edition, May 26, 2008
Scahill, a regular contributor to the Nation, offers a hard-left perspective on Blackwater USA, the self-described private military contractor and security firm. It owes its existence, he shows, to the post–Cold War drawdown of U.S. armed forces, its prosperity to the post-9/11 overextension of those forces and its notoriety to a growing reputation as a mercenary outfit, willing to break the constraints on military systems responsible to state authority. Scahill describes Blackwater's expansion, from an early emphasis on administrative and training functions to what amounts to a combat role as an internal security force in Iraq.
The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
by Jane Mayer
Doubleday, July 15, 2008
The Dark Side is a dramatic, riveting, and definitive narrative account of how the United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world-- decisions that not only violated the Constitution to which White House officials took an oath to uphold, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. In gripping detail, acclaimed New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Jane Mayer, relates the impact of these decisions—U.S.-held prisoners, some of them completely innocent, were subjected to treatment more reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition than the twenty-first century.
The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot
by Naomi Wolf
Chelsea Green Publishing; 1st edition, September 5, 2007
The End of America outlines the “Ten Steps to Fascism” citing historical corollaries (as well as the pigs in Orwell’s Animal Farm), with headings like “Invoke an External and Internal Threat,” “Establish Secret Prisons,” and “Target Key Individuals.” In other words, fascism can exist without dictatorship. The book’s publication through a small press in Vermont that is committed to “the politics and practice of sustainable living” rather than through a large trade house is itself a political act.
The Future of Peace: On the Front Lines With the World's Great
Peacemakers
by Scott A. Hunt
Harper San Francisco; Reprint edition, August 1, 2004
The Dalai Lama, Dr. Jane Goodall and Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi
are some of the great peacemakers whose eloquent voices are captured by Hunt
in this bold attempt to discover the causes of human suffering and the antidote
to violence.
Gandhi And Beyond: Nonviolence for an Age of Terrorism
by David Cortright
Paradigm Publishers, June 21, 2006 .
In Gandhi and Beyond veteran nonviolence activist David Cortright pulls together
some important lessons from the recent history of the nonviolence movement. He
gives us a strong new interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings, looks
at the legacy of U.S. thinker-activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy
Day, and Barbara Deming, and draws heavily on his own experience as an antiwar
organizer, too. Cortright’s clear exposition of the big themes of nonviolent
activism could not be more timely.
Hegemony or Survival : America 's
Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire
Project)
by Noam Chomsky
Owl Books; Reprint edition, September 1, 2004
In this highly readable, heavily footnoted critique
of American foreign policy from the late 1950s to the present, Chomsky argues
that current U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are not a specific response
to September 11, but simply the continuation of a consistent half-century
of foreign policy-an "imperial
grand strategy"-in which the United States has attempted to "maintain
its hegemony through the threat or use of military force." Such an analysis
is bound to be met with skepticism or antagonism in post-September 11 America
, but Chomsky builds his arguments carefully, substantiates claims with appropriate
documentation and answers expected counterclaims.
How to Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence
and Terrorism
by Alice Walker
Inner Ocean Publishing, February
10, 2005
Violence begets violence—so believes the majority of people around
the world who have stood up in protest against war. Stop the Next War
Now is a reflective look and call to action to end violence, by acclaimed
peace activists, experts, and visionaries, including Eve Ensler, Barbara
Lee, Arianna Huffington, Janeane Garafalo, Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Hong Kingston,
and many more. The book shares expert insight on the issues and powers that
encourage war, including the media, politicians, global militarization, and
the pending scarcity of natural resources.
Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror
by Benjamin Wittes
Penguin Press HC, June 19, 2008
Brookings Institution fellow Wittes evaluates the war on terror from a refreshingly nonpartisan perspective that assesses the chasm between the gravity of American security needs and the inadequacy of its laws. Both a defense and critique of the Bush administration, the book argues in favor of many of the measures taken by the executive branch while condemning its failure to secure congressional cooperation and the necessary legal architecture to back policies that were bound to be unpopular. Wittes reserves his real ire for a legislature that has ignored its mandated responsibility of creating coherent, legal structure for this war and a Supreme Court that has attempted to extend its jurisdiction over detainees and is increasingly interfering in foreign policy.
Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
by Mark Kurlansky (with Dalai Lama, Foreword)
Modern Library, September 12, 2006
Kurlansky applies the microhistorical approach of his bestellers (Cod; Salt) to the loftier subject of nonviolence—which, he observes, is so "profoundly dangerous" to the powers that be that it has never existed as an idea in and of itself, only as the absence of violence. "Active practitioners of nonviolence are always seen as a threat," he says, and the conflict between authority and nonviolent resistance becomes a "moral argument" that, all too often, the nonviolent lose by abandoning their ideal in the name of self-defense. But as he studies the history of nonviolence from the dawn of Christianity to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Kurlansky can also point to prominent victories, like Gandhi's quest for Indian independence and the Eastern European resistance to the Soviets.
The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism
and Economic Collapse
by Richard Heinberg, Colin Campbell (Foreword)
New Society Publishers, September 1, 2006.
Since oil is the primary fuel of global industrial civilization, its imminent
depletion is a problem that will have a profound impact on every aspect of modern
life. Without international agreement on how to manage the decline of this vital
resource, the world faces unprecedented risk of conflict and collapse.
The Oil Depletion Protocol describes a unique accord whereby nations would voluntarily
reduce their oil production and oil imports according to a consistent, sensible
formula. This would enable energy transition to be planned and supported over
the long term, providing a context of stable energy prices and peaceful cooperation.
Peace: The Biography of a Symbol
by Ken Kolsbun
National Geographic, April 1, 2008.
Nothing more eloquently symbolizes the counterculture era of the 1960s than the peace sign. How did this simple sketch become so powerful an image? Peace: The Biography of a Symbol tells the surprising story of the sign in words and pictures, from its origins in the nuclear disarmament efforts of the late 1950s to its adoption by the antiwar movement of the 1960s, through its stint as a mass-marketed commodity and its enduring relevance now.
As the symbol’s popularity blossomed, so did an entire generation, and author Ken Kolsbun’s expertly selected images illustrate both the sign itself and the larger history that it helped to shape. Along the way, the book recounts the controversy inspired by the peace symbol, bringing to light several trials that challenged its very existence. Drawing on exclusive archival interviews with Gerald Holtom, the late creator of the symbol, Peace recounts its birth and goes on to build a historic portrait using both iconic and rarely seen photographs.
Peace: The Words and Inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi (Me-We)
by ME WE; PQ Blackwell Limited
Blue Mountain Arts; 1st edition, April 2, 2007
Often, it is through words that we may grasp the noble essence of a man's spirit. This collection of quotations, excerpts, and photographs puts us in touch with the message and meaning of Mahatma Ghandi -- civil rights activist, political and spiritual leader, pioneer of Satyagraha, and official "Father of the Nation" of India -- inspiring us to achieve great things through non-violent means.
The Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a
More Peaceful World
by Louise Diamond
The Peace Company; Revised 3rd edition (2001)
“If you want more peace in your life; If you want more peace in the
world; If you want a society based on a culture of peace instead of the prevailing
culture of violence; this book is dedicated to you as a call to action.”
Peace Is the Way : Bringing War and Violence to an End
by Deepak Chopra
Three Rivers Press, December 27, 2005
“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”
This statement has never been more true. Now, Deepak Chopra expands on A. J.
Muste’s insight, teaching us how to expand awareness, stop reacting
out of fear, and reject war—one person at a time. As Dr. Chopra says, “Violence
may be innate in human nature, but so is its opposite: love. The next stage
of humanity, the leap we are poised to take, will be guided by the force
of that love.”
Peace Is the Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship
of Reconciliation
by Fellowship of Reconciliation , Walter Wink
(Editor)
Orbis Books, May 2000
Compiled by Walter Wink, these selections come from the Fellowship of Reconciliation's
magazine FELLOWSHIP. The articles were written by the greatest peacemakers
of our times. Sixty essays cover theory, practice and spirituality of nonviolence.
They also describe racial justice struggle and reconciliation. The book is
divided into 6 main categories; VISION, PEACE WITNESSES, SPIRIT of PEACE,
INTERRACIAL JUSTICE, NONVIOLENCE IN ACTION and the PATH OF RECONCILIATION.
The editor reminds us that the UN General Assembly unanimously proclaimed
the first decade of the 21st century to be a Decade for a Culture of Peace
and Nonviolence!
The Power of Nonviolence : Writings by Advocates of Peace
by Howard Zinn
Beacon Press, September 12, 2002
A stirring anthology of writings about peace and nonviolence from Buddha
to Arundhati Roy. As you read this, America is at war. President Bush declared
a "war on terrorism" and 90 percent of the American people believed
he was doing the right thing. But is there another way? From Buddha in the
pre-Christian era to the most recent declaration of peace principles by Nobel
laureates, nonviolence has always been an alternative.
With an introduction by Howard Zinn about September 11 and the U.S. response
to the terrorist attacks, The Power of Nonviolence presents the most
salient and persuasive arguments for peace in the last 2,500 years of human
history.
Practicing Peace in Times of War
by Pema Chodron
Shambhala, September 11, 2007
This little book by the American Buddhist nun Chödrön is a solid reinforcement of what she has been saying for many years and in many books. Here, her focus is on the relationship between aggression within and the aggression that fuels war. Chödrön begins with some disquieting observations, such as that we can all be fundamentalists—that is, self-righteous and closed-minded—and that peace demonstrators are not terribly peaceful. Like other Buddhist teachers on the subject of political action, she sees a direct connection between what is in the heart and expressed in outward actions. She teaches how to stop the reflexive and habitual emotional reaction to perceived hostility through patience, pausing, breathing. It's not easy, but it is simple.
The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves,
Our Families, and Our World
by Michael N. Nagler, Arun Ghandi
Inner Ocean Publishing;
Rev&Updated edition, October 10, 2004
Beginning with the achievements of Mahatma Gandhi, and following the legacy
of nonviolence through the struggles against Nazism in Europe , racism in
America , oppression in China and Latin America , and ethnic conflicts in
Africa and Bosnia , Michael Nagler unveils a hidden history. Nonviolence,
he proposes, has proven its power against arms and social injustice wherever
it has been correctly understood and applied. Nagler's approach is not only
historical but also spiritual, drawing on the experience of Gandhi and other
activists and teachers.
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein
Picador; 1st edition, June 24, 2008
Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine advances a truly unnerving argument: historically, while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times. As Klein demonstrates, this reprehensible game of bait-and-switch isn't just some relic from the bad old days. It's alive and well in contemporary society, and coming soon to a disaster area near you.
War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to
Death
by Norman Solomon
New York : Wiley, June 23,
2006
Media critic Solomon looks at the pro-war propaganda generated by the U.S.
government during military interventions, emphasizing the influence of the
media upon public opinion. He finds several formulaic messages that help
persuade the public to support military intervention, including portraying
America as a fair and noble superpower, whose honest leaders work hard to
avoid war, and the enemy leader as an aggressive, Hitler-like violator of
human rights who will do much harm unless the United States intervenes. Solomon's
timely analysis, which continues through the current war in Iraq , provides
the public, analysts, and journalists with useful tips on how to evaluate
the prewar messages of any administration, current or historical.
Working for Peace: A Handbook of Practical Psychology And Other
Tools
by Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Arun Gandhi (Foreword), Rachel M. Macnair (Editor)
Impact Publishers, July 30, 2006
The most complete guidebook yet to social activism. Forty active peace
workers -- psychologists, social workers, communication specialists and other
professionals -- offer detailed practical guidance for peace workers, including
maintaining an effective group of volunteers and getting the word out to the
larger community.
Thirty-two information-packed chapters include: Cultivating Inner Peace;
Overcoming Anger and Anxiety; Overcoming Helplessness and Discouragement;
Overcoming Burnout; Motivating Others; Effective Group Meetings and Decision
Making; Using Conflict Creatively; Promoting Peaceful Interaction; Nonviolent
Communication; Conflict Transformation Skills; From Anger to Peace; Preparing
for Nonviolent Confrontations; Effective Media Communication; Techniques
of Behavior Change; Humor for Peace.
