Confronting War: An Examination of Humanity's Most Pressing Problem, 4th ed. / Edition 4

by Ronald J. Glossop

Overview

This immensely successful textbook is broken into four parts. Part One: Introduction to the War Problem discusses the nature of the war problem, the conceptual framework, and the historical framework. Part Two: Causes of War talks about the cause of war, group competition and group identification, other views about causes of war, and the value of war. In Part Three: The Contemporary Situation, the reader will learn about ideological aspects, national-historical aspects, military aspects, institutional aspects, and legal aspects of the contemporary situation. Part Four: Proposals for Solving the War Problem discusses reforming the attitudes of individuals, reforming the internal operation of national governments, reforming the policies of national governments, and reforming the international system. It also includes maps, tables and charts which will be especially helpful to the reader.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786411214
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2001
Edition description:	REVISED
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ronald J. Glossop is professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he served as coordinator of the peace studies program for over 25 years.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

      List of Illustrations, Maps, and Charts     
      Preface     

Part One. INTRODUCTION TO THE WAR PROBLEM
1. The Nature of the War Problem     
      The Importance of the War Problem     
      The Four Aspects of the War Problem     
2. The Conceptual Framework     
      The Meaning of the Term "War"     
      An Alternative to War?     
      The Meaning of the Term “Peace”     
      The Meaning of the Term “Justice”     
      The “Just War” Concept     
      Further Reflections on Peace and Justice     
3. The Historical Framework     
      The History of Warfare Between Sovereign States     
      Wars Since 1946     
      The Changing Nature of War     
      The Present Urgency of the War Problem     

PART TWO: CAUSES OF
4. The Cause of War: General Considerations     
      Investigating the Cause of War     
      Individual Human Aggression     
      Individual Aggression and War     
5. Group Competition and Group Identification     
      Arenas of Group Competition     
      Group Identification and Nationalism     
      Nationalism as a Cause of War     
6. Other Views About Causes of War     
      Arms Races as a Cause of War     
      Military Planning as a Cause of War     
      Particular Villains as a Cause of War     
      War as an Effort to Suppress Internal Dissension     
      War as an Effort to Eliminate Injustice     
      The Absence of Peaceful Alternatives as a Cause of War     
7. The Value of War     
      The Biological Value of War     
      The Technological Value of War     
      The Economic Value of War     
      The Psychological Value of War     
      The Social Value of War     
      The Moral Value of War     
      Will War Be Missed?     

PART THREE: THE CONTEMPORARY SITUATION
8. Ideological Aspects of the Contemporary Situation     
      Some Basic Distinctions     
      Capitalistic Democracy     
      Communism (Marx, Lenin, and Mao)     
      Fascism (National Socialism)     
      The “End of History” Thesis     
      Religion and War     
9. National-Historical Aspects of the Contemporary Situation     
      The U.S. Perspective     
      The Russian Perspective     
      The Western European Perspective     
      The Japanese Perspective     
      The Chinese Perspective     
      The Less Developed Countries     
10. Military Aspects of the Contemporary Situation     
      The Post-World War II Struggle for Power     
      Deterrence Theory     
      The Cuban Missile Crisis     
      Modern Nuclear Weaponry     
      Missile Defense Systems     
      Modern Non-Nuclear Weaponry     
      Weapons and War     
11. Institutional Aspects of the Contemporary Situation     
      The Structure of the United Nations     
      U.N. Peacekeeping and Nation-Building     
      Dominant Influences in the United Nations     
      Accomplishments of the United Nations     
      Worldwide Functional Agencies     
      Regional Functional and Political Organizations     
      International Nongovernmental Organizations     
12. Legal Aspects of the Contemporary Situation     
      The Nature of International Law     
      The Evolution of International Law     
      Laws of War     
      The Sources of International Law     
      Enforcing International Law     

PART FOUR: PROPOSALS FOR SOLVING THE WAR PROBLEM
13. Reforming the Attitudes of Individuals     
      Interest in Social Issues Including International Affairs     
      Skepticism and Tolerance     
      Taking Personal Responsibility     
      Reluctance to Use Violence     
      Unselfishness     
      Globalism and Humatriotism     
      World Citizenship     
      Looking Forward Rather Than Back     
      Overcoming Defeatism and Apathy     
14. Reforming the Internal Operation of National Governments     
      The Western Approach     
      The Marxist Approach     
      The Gandhi-King Approach     
15. Reforming the Policies of National Governments     
      Peace Through Military Strength     
      Peace Through Alliances     
      Peace Through Neutrality and Economic Self-Sufficiency     
      Peace Through Strictly Defensive Strength     
      Peace Through Civilian Defense     
      Peace Through Arms Control     
      Peace Through Renunciation of War     
      Peace Through Conciliatory Moves and Confidence-Building Measures     
      Peace Through Good Relations, Morality, and Cooperation     
      Peace Through Third-Party Involvement     
      Peace Through International Conflict Management     
      Peace Through Peace Research and Peace Education     
16. Reforming the International System     
      Limiting National Sovereignty in Specific Situations     
      Consolidating Nations into Larger Units     
      World Government Through Federation     
      World Government Through Functionalism     
      World Government Through Direct Citizen Action     

      A Note to the Reader     
      Chapter Notes     
      Selected Bibliography     
      Index     

Editorial Reviews

comprehensive...one must admire the scrupulous treatment”—Choice; “well-written”—International Journal on World Peace; “sound educational tool”—International Peace Studies Newsletter; “a thorough and painstaking study”—The Human Economy Newsletter; “useful...very readable...well written...a treasure house”—Peace Research; “worth reading...a masterful analysis of the war problem”—World Federalist; “recommended”—Transnational Perspectives; “excellent”—Science Books & Films.

From the Publisher

sound educational tool

International Peace Studies Newsletter

well-written

International Journal on World Peace

comprehensive...one must admire the scrupulous treatment

Choice