In his book Peace, veteran scholar and peace activist David Cortright offers a definitive history of the human striving for peace and an analysis of its religious and intellectual roots.

The book traces the rise of peace advocacy and internationalism from their origins in earlier centuries through the mass movements of recent decades: the pacifist campaigns of the 1930s, the Vietnam [antiwar movement] . . .  and the waves of disarmament activism that peaked in the 1980s. Also explored are the underlying principles of peace--nonviolence, democracy, social justice, and human rights--all placed within a framework of ‘realistic pacifism.’ Cortright brings the story up-to-date by examining opposition to the Iraq War and responses to the so-called ‘war on terror’. “Peace” presents the history with a modern twist, set in the context of current debates about ‘the responsibility to protect’, nuclear proliferation, [Darfur, and conflict transformation.]

“David Cortright’s ‘Peace’ shows that it is possible to prevent the scourge of war and create a more just and peaceful future - if we are prepared to learn the lessons of history and apply proven peacemaking knowledge. This is a hopeful but realistic book that deserves to be read and studied widely.” Kofi A. Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

UN REGIONAL INFORMATION CENTRE FOR WESTERN EUROPE 

Cortright's thorough and thoughtful discussion of the ideas and movements that have associated themselves with the word "peace" deserves a wide audience. It covers a lot of ground without appearing rushed and covers some interesting detail along the way on the origins of key concepts, the roles of religion and international law, and the continuing struggle against charges of cowardice and a lack of patriotism.

Cortright writes with a commitment to the cause but also sufficient detachment to allow readers to make up their own minds about the issues being addressed. Peace movements have suffered from, he acknowledges, "a persistent naivete, a tendency toward utopianism . . . , an inadequate grasp of the unavoidable dilemmas of security, [and] an unwillingness to accept the inherent egoism of human communities." Yet when "pacifism" is taken broadly to refer to all those working on the problem of how to prevent war and build peace, rather than just a pure moral stance, he notes broad achievements. Many of the commonplace ideas of international security originated with groups that were considered in their time to be either unpatriotic or hopelessly idealistic.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS, JANUARY 2009 

I became acquainted with the president of the Fourth Freedom Forum and Notre Dame University professor in the 1990s through a United Nations academic research quest to study the effect of multilateral sanctions. For the German professionals, that was a new topic and we were very surprised to find that in the USA over thirty institutions worked as sanctions observers. Cortright appeared as the principal and moderator of this area of study, and several of his 17 books are dedicated to the analysis of sanctions and political counseling of those who use sanctions as policy tools.

 
One of the highlights of the Christian liturgical year for me has been gathering with friends and family at a late Christmas Eve service to celebrate the birth of Christ. With the passing of time, however, this experience has become rather bittersweet. On theone hand, we proclaim “peace on earth, good will toward all,” echoing the heavenly host that appeared to the shepherds some2,000 years ago (Luke 2:14). Yet a quick glance at any news network’s images of those who are suffering, displaced, and dying due to war and conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Darfur region of Sudan, and elsewhere—as well as in our own neighborhoods—reveals an excruciating absence of peace in the world for too many people. Indeed, I now find that these Christmas words keep “sticking in my throat,” as U2’s song “Peace on Earth” puts it, for “hope and history won’t rhyme.”

Peace: A History of Movements and Ideas, the latest book by veteran scholar and peacemaking activist David Cortright, demonstrates that hope and history, or theory and practice, have coincided perhaps more than many people might suspect. Giving honest attention to both the failures and the successes of peacemaking over the centuries in order to glean lessons for the present (and future), Peace is, against those who attack pacifism as ineffective or leading to appeasement, “an attempt to set the record straight by exploring the history of movements and ideas for peace,” Cortright writes. He is a research fellow at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and a member of Sojourners’ board.

Much of the book is a who’s who of peace leaders and advocates: Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., John Howard Yoder, Václav Havel, Jane Addams, Barbara Deming, Immanuel Kant, Leo Tolstoy, Reinhold Niebuhr, William James, and many more. Movements, congresses, and peace societies are studied, from familiar ones such as the American Friends Service Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the War Resisters League to forgotten ones such as the League of Universal Brotherhood, the American Peace Society, and the interesting are pages devoted to Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a Muslim ally of Gandhi who led a mass movement of nonviolent direct action in Pakistan, and to the correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud about how to deliver humankind “from the menace of war.” Cortright also explores important themes and ideas: the role of religion, the power of nonviolence, the impact of democracy, and the necessity of social justice and human rights in peacemaking.

THE BOOK ALSO contains an argument, threaded throughout and developed more explicitly in its final chapter, for a “realistic pacifism.” Cortright seeks to retrieve the original, broader meaning of “pacifism” to refer to all those who actively work to preserve peace and prevent war. Rather than a passive or absolutist type of pacifism, Cortright emphasizes a more pragmatic or conditional pacifism that opposes and seeks to prevent war but allows for the possibility of the use of force, including lethal force, in cases where nonviolent methods have failed and “the victims of tyranny and abuse cry out for help.”

In this connection, Cortright’s attention turns to recent calls for “just policing” to deal with terrorists and developments toward what the United Nations and the World Council of Churches refer to as “the responsibility to protect” (R2P) people from genocide. In each of these instances, strict ethical criteria govern the use of force, as in the just war tradition, which Cortright includes within his understanding of “peacemaking” or “peace-building”—terms he substitutes for realistic pacifism by the end of the book. Some readers who are more absolute in their pacifist refusal to allow for the resort to lethal force may be disappointed with this particular aspect of Cortright’s understanding of pacifism.

Nevertheless, this book is essential reading for all persons committed to promoting peace and justice. An exemplary interdisciplinary effort that comprehensively and accessibly covers its subject, the volume will undoubtedly become a standard resource that will be kept within easy reach on the bookshelf.

Tobias Winright teaches Christian ethics at Saint Louis University.

David Cortright's PEACE: A HISTORY OF MOVEMENTS AND IDEAS begins with the fundamental paradox of peacemaking: it is embodied in the peacemaker herself but peace is portrayed as an external, sometimes unrealistic goal. Cortright contends, "Jesus said that peacemakers are to be blessed children of God, but in the real world they are often dismissed as utopian dreamers or worse, quaking defeatists who live in denial of reality." The worldly weight against the peacemaker seems to be twofold. We are reminded of the normative discourse in denial of the possibility for creating a peaceful present, let alone future. Moreover, Cortright reminds us that for some, a peaceful present is by and large a denial of human reality. Nevertheless, Cortright's mission appears to extend the discourse one step beyond two opposing forces, bringing into the picture the silent third party, the one who sees the peacemaker as a defeatist or a mere dreamer. It is precisely toward the intellectual conversion of this critical readership that PEACE aims, and sufficiently meets its target. Cortright, in the creation of a comprehensive and meticulous narrative on peace, reaches beyond the quotidian audience for a book about peace. He attains a level of readability, interest, and grand scope of themes and topics which implicitly defend his subject by effect. In raising the standard of a peace narrative, Cortright also invites a more rigorous, critical reading of his work. It is difficult to find error or flaw in this tightly woven and integrative discourse in which he does not ignore the small details.

"What is Peace?" the introduction to the work, prepares the philosophical ground for the process of grasping the significance of attempts to advocate for peace. Cortright readies us for a shared peace concept, through the initial introduction of notions of idealism, realism, pacifism, traditions, and just war. He continues with a pragmatic outline of peace history followed by a useful overview of peacemaking ideas. In itself, this introduction surpasses the canon of peace history in its breadth and gentle control over the conceptual ground of this work.

In the first section, dedicated to the elucidation of "Movements" toward peace, Cortright presents seven sections of detailed research. They are, in order: The first peace societies; Toward internationalism; Facing fascism; Debating disarmament; Confronting the cold war; Banning the bomb; and Refusing war. Each section begins with the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the chosen topic in terms of peace. "Facing fascism," for instance, begins with a discussion of "the peace movement reborn," Each section then develops and grows into detail-oriented, unbiased facts and statistics regarding the specific topic. Each of the seven sections thoughtfully closes with new facts in mind, regarding the overall complexity of peace advocacy. "Facing fascism" thus ends with a discussion about the end of "pacifism."

The second section of PEACE addresses the major themes that recur in the peace discourse. These are divided into eight comprehensive, detailed chapters. They are, in order: Religion; A force more powerful; Democracy; Social justice; Responsibility to protect; A moral equivalent; Realizing disarmament; and Realistic pacifism. Each chapter is divided into shorter sections that provide articulate overviews of the important philosophical notions, ideological stances; and conceptual actors regarding each theme. The chapter on religion, for example, opens with a look at eastern traditions and ends with a discussion of nonviolent alternatives therein. The chapter on democracy addresses not only feminism but also provides insight into the meaning of a feminist discourse with a substantial background for those unfamiliar with its history.

Cortright addresses a serious concern in the final chapter, "Realistic pacifism," namely the divide in the peace community itself between the scholars and the activists. He states that "peace activists and scholars operate from the same body of knowledge: with regard to uniting the factions together in the true spirit of peacemaking. However, he continues, "inevitable gaps exist between the world of activism and the realm of research" (p. 338).  Cortright offers more than one side in the discussion but rather a voice of educated, experienced wisdom, stating, "In the end, peacemaking is a moral commitment" (p. 339). The idea of a moral commitment is the resolution for peacemakers to come together. While scholars need to find more ways to be activists instead of simply speaking on what moral action looks like, activists also need to make sure that their commitment to peace remains nonviolent and rooted in history. Discussing this problem, Cortright divides this chapter into three sections: Theory, Action, and Practice. This reinforces that in a complex world, action for peace must be conceived in terms of a continued practice that includes theory, planning, and its realization.

Cortright is on target in creating a succinct, comprehensive, and meticulous history of peace through the vehicle of those who have kept the movement alive. He does not "preach to the choir." He succeeds in uncovering and linking together human knowledge of a cohesive past of peace as a movement. PEACE uncovers a clear vision of a real past in order that we  can see it as a potential future. It is through this comprehensive approach to both subject matter and audiences that the peace movement may find a more substantial place in the pages of our world history. In this way, Cortright has rendered a service unto the shelves of peace, justice, and conflict studies with his new book. It is a smart piece of research which succeeds in making a case for peace through a controlled presentation of a vast array of material, while remaining highly readable. I envision PEACE as crucial reference material for every student new and old--be they academic or activist--of nonviolence.

Stephanie Nichole Van Hook is an M.A. Candidate in Conflict Resolution at Portland State University.

This book is divided primarily into two sections: Movements and Themes.

Author David Cortright opens Chapter 1 of PEACE: A HISTORY OF MOVEMENTS AND IDEAS with an acknowledgement that nonviolence is not well-regarded in much of the social sphere. "Jesus said that peacemakers are to be blessed as children of God, but in the real world they are often dismissed as utopian dreamers or worse, quaking defeatists who live in denial of reality," he writes. He continues: "It is easy to arouse people to war, said Hermann Goering at the Nuremburg trials. 'All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism.'"

Part 1, "Movements," includes historical chapters on the Cold War and the creation of the United Nations; confronting fascism; and debating disarmament. Also in this section, "Banning the bomb" talks about nuclear pacifism in Japan, a country that has the refusal to make war enshrined in its postwar constitution. "Refusing war" discusses Vietnam and the war in Iraq, and "The first peace societies" gives background on the self-educated blacksmith Elihu Burritt (1810-79), who has been called "the greatest name in the history of American pacifism." Unlike most peace activists, he was born into poverty, and was successful in getting working-class people involved in war resistance. In 1846 Burritt founded the League of Universal Brotherhood, the first international peace movement.

Part 2, "Themes," contains sections on the religious roots of nonviolence, including its history in Christianity; the difference between nonviolence and pacifism; the role of democracy and peacemaking; and the complexities of realistic pacifism, among others. A chapter called "Responsibility to protect" discusses the challenge of the peacekeeping situations in Kosovo and Darfur. This balanced, readable volume would make a good text for peace studies courses.