The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg

Researcher, writer, and activist Daniel Ellsberg is internationally recognized for blowing the whistle first on the outrageous violence in Vietnam. Late in 2017, as the culmination of his life’s work, Ellsberg delivered another exposé, this one on the persistent and growing dangers of nuclear weapons. The Doomsday Machine presents credible, insightful insider revelations—which is no doubt a main reason why it was rejected by 17 publishers. Today, with his new book selling well, Ellsberg is finally able to articulate the alarms he has long intended to sound.

This deeply disturbing book emerges from Ellsberg’s realization that the weapons systems first encountered 60 years ago remain on hair trigger—and that a simple technical snafu or a political misunderstanding could, in less than a half hour, reduce cities to radioactive ash heaps.

The book is fully sourced and even supplemented a website devoted to nuclear issues: http://www.ellsberg.net

Daniel Ellsberg book review by Paul Rea

 

The War and Environment Reader by Gar Smith

Just World Book, Charlottesville, VA, 2017

This book is a collection of writings which explore the roots of war, the business of war, the environmental and social consequences of war and the alternatives to war.  Bringing together engaging texts from diverse voices and global perspectives, it provides groundbreaking analyses of the damage that military violence inflicts on regional and global ecosystems. Many of the thirty-plus contributors have first-hand experience of war’s impact on nature.

Gar Smith Book Review by Paul Rea

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.

Beyond War: The Human Potential for Peace
By Douglas P. Fry
Oxford University Press, USA, February 16, 2007
Fry points out that, for perhaps ninety-nine percent of our history, for well over a million years, humans lived in nomadic hunter-and-gatherer groups, egalitarian bands where generosity was highly valued and warfare was a rarity. Drawing on archaeology and fascinating fieldwork on hunter-gatherer bands from around the world, Fry debunks the idea that war is ancient and inevitable. For instance, among Aboriginal Australians–who numbered some 750,000 individuals before the arrival of Europeans, all living in hunter-gathering groups–warfare was an extreme anomaly. There was individual violence and aggression, of course, but the Aborigines had sophisticated methods of resolving disputes, controlling individual outbursts, and preventing loss of life. Fry shows that, far from being natural, warfare actually appeared quite recently along with changes in social organization and especially the rise of states. But Fry also points out that even today, when war seems ever present (at least on television), the vast majority of us live peaceful, nonviolent lives. We are not as warlike as it might seem, and if we can learn from our ancestors, we may be able to move beyond war to provide real justice and security for the people of the world.
A profoundly heartening view of human nature, Beyond War offers a hopeful perspective on our species and a positive prognosis for a future without war.

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.

Crossing Zero: The AfPak War at the Turning Point of American Empire
Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould
City Lights Publishers (February 22, 2011)
The war in Afghanistan has become the most complex foreign policy problem the United States has ever faced, spreading into Pakistan and involving the conflicting interests of Russia, India, China and Iran. Written as a companion to Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald’s widely acclaimed book Invisible History: Afghanistan’s Untold Story, Crossing Zero focuses on the nuances of the Obama administration’s evolving military and political strategy, the people implementing it, and the long-term consequences for the United States and the region.

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.

Mounting Evidence: Why We Need a New Investigation of 9/11
by Paul W. Rea, Ph.D.
September 2011
http://www.mountingevidence.org/

Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea (Modern Library Chronicles)
By Mark Kurtansky; Foreword by Dalai Lama
Modern Library, April 8, 2008

In this timely, highly original, and controversial narrative, New York Times bestselling author Mark Kurlansky discusses nonviolence as a distinct entity, a course of action, rather than a mere state of mind. Nonviolence can and should be a technique for overcoming social injustice and ending wars, he asserts, which is why it is the preferred method of those who speak truth to power.

Nonviolence is a sweeping yet concise history that moves from ancient Hindu times to present-day conflicts raging in the Middle East and elsewhere. Kurlansky also brings into focus just why nonviolence is a “dangerous” idea, and asks such provocative questions as: Is there such a thing as a “just war”? Could nonviolence have worked against even the most evil regimes in history?

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.

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
By Dave Grossman
Back Bay Books; Revised edition, June 22, 2009

Drawing on interviews, published personal accounts and academic studies, Grossman investigates the psychology of killing in combat. Stressing that human beings have a powerful, innate resistance to the taking of life, he examines the techniques developed by the military to overcome that aversion. His provocative study focuses in particular on the Vietnam war, revealing how the American soldier was “enabled to kill to a far greater degree than any other soldier in history.” Grossman argues that the breakdown of American society, combined with the pervasive violence in the media and interactive video games, is conditioning our children to kill in a manner siimilar to the army’s conditioning of soldiers: “We are reaching that stage of desensitization at which the infliction of pain and suffering has become a source of entertainment: vicarious pleasure rather than revulsion. We are learning to kill, and we are learning to like it.” Grossman, a professor of military science at Arkansas State University, has written a study of relevance to a society of escalating violence.

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.

Rebooting the American Dream: 11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country
by Thom Hartmann
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, October 11, 2010

In this new work, Thom Hartmann covers 11 straightforward solutions to America’s current problems. At the core of each is a call to reclaim economic sovereignty and to wrest control of democracy back from the corporate powers that have hijacked both America and her citizens.

Hartmann’s solutions are essentially nonpartisan. Virtually all have been promoted at one time or another in American history by both political parties, although today most (but not all) fall into the realm of “progressive solutions.” Both Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan will find broad areas of agreement with this book.

From addressing the problem of a warming globe to the death of America’s middle class to the loss of our essential liberties, Rebooting The American Dream shows how America can reclaim the vision of our Founders and the greatness we held both at home and abroad for over a century.

This book can be read online chapter by chapter at http://www.truth-out.org/thom-hartmann-rebooting-american-dream65183

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 Is A Lie
by David Swanson
David Swanson; October 30, 2010
WAR IS A LIE is a thorough refutation of every major argument used to justify wars, drawing on evidence from numerous past wars, with a focus on those wars that have been most widely defended as just and good. This is a handbook of sorts, a manual to be used in debunking future lies before future wars have a chance to begin. For more information visit WarIsALie.org.

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.

Will War Ever End?: A Soldier’s Vision of Peace for the 21st Century
By Paul K Chappell; Forword by Dave Grossman
Rvive Books; 1st edition, February 1, 2009
Once in a great while, a book is written that substantially changes the way people think about a particular subject. Will War Ever End? is such a book. Written as a “manifesto for waging peace” by an active duty captain in the U.S. Army, Will War Ever End? challenges readers to think about peace, war and violence in radically new ways.

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan: Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations
By Iraq Veterans Against the War; Aaron Glantz (Editor)
Haymarket Books; September 1, 2008
In spring 2008, inspired by the Vietnam-era Winter Soldier hearings, Iraq Veterans Against the War gathered veterans to expose war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Here are the powerful words, images, and documents of this historic gathering, which show the reality of life in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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.