The papers contained in this volume provide a snapshot of the contributions made to the 8th Global Conference on War and Peace which took place in Warsaw, Poland from 22nd to 24th May 2011

Excerpt from Thoughts on Peace and War Ihave a word or two more. For the doctrines, and for the opinions of this Address, I am alone responsible. For a moment, it was but for a moment, - it was thought that a word, or a sentence or two, might have been adapted to some temporary criticism of a portion of the public press. The criticism was the probable result of an imperfect memory, or of some unhappy tendency to find fault, and this without the current excuse. It has not been heeded. The Address was written, as above stated, at short notice and when it was finished, it was done. I have given a copy for the press, in the deep conviction of its truth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Thoughts on War and Peace: An Inquiry Into the Conceptions Prevailing in Foreign Politics Public attention in the last few years has been pointedly drawn to the creation of a League of Nations. However attractive the setting up of an international body may appear to us, especially at this juncture in the world's history, we should not shrink from facing the fact that the problem of war and peace cannot be solved within the actual system in foreign politics. The present work endeavours to show that the first step towards a new order of things in international relations is to remove from our political thought the existing conceptions of war and peace - that is to say, all conceptions which make the political life of a nation contradictory to the ideals of humanity. Only after such a radical change of mind can we build up something solid in international politics. In exposing the artificial character of the proposals advanced on behalf of a League of Nations, I have had in view more their development in the future than their possible results at present. That any League of Nations is better than none cannot be gainsaid; but there should be a wider understanding about the meaning of such a vast enterprise. If we do not do the work thoroughly, we shall have to undo it sooner or later; and we shall relapse into our former position on account of the very fact that we have not changed our values in foreign politics. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Thoughts on Peace and War The person appointed to deliver the address at this anniversary of the American Peace Society was prevented doing it, and, at a very late hour, I was, somewhat informally, desired to write one. I could not say, yes, and I would not say, no, but took time to think about the matter. "To doubt," in such a case, I might have known, "was to be resolved," but 1 did not know at the moment what the resolution might be. I went home, thinking of the matter as I went along, and though the distance was not great, by the time I reached my house, I resolved to write, had a scheme of an address made, and went to work. The official appointment came about the middle of the present month, May, and by that time the address was written. This history is given, not by way of apology for the hasty and imperfect manner, in which what is writ lias been set down, but because of the omission of topics of so pressing interest that surprise and disappointment may be felt that they are not treated. There is the Texas question, and there is the Oregon question, and there are others, "vexed" ones, too, which arc so grave, in their peace bearings, that you may wonder, reader, that they arc omitted. I regret that it is so. There arc, however, considerations which diminish this regret. Those questions will not produce war, unless a very great change takes place in public sentiment. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In Peace: An Idea Whose Time Has Come, noted mathematician and peace researcher Anatol Rapoport explores the evolution of the idea of peace and explains why it is displacing war as a viable institution. Professor Rapoport ventures into uncharted philosophical territory by drawing on both the natural and the social sciences to trace the development of the ideas of war and peace. He argues that the theory of evolution and processes analogous to natural selection can explain not only biological events, but also the development of the institution of war. Thus the clashes of armed hordes at the dawn of history were the "ancestors" of our present battles using automated weapons, while Isaiah's prophecy of total disarmament--"And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares"--anticipates the resolutions of the United Nations. Rapoport explains that although the institution of war enjoys a long history and continues to be a policy option today, it may soon fall into disuse, either by losing its relevance to modern life or by destroying the civilizations that practice it. He then calls attention to ideas that lie dormant until people's "ideational environment" becomes receptive to their germination: peace, Anatol Rapoport believes, is one such idea. Peace continues in the interdisciplinary tradition that has taken root in inquiries at the nexus of science and philosophy. No specific technical knowledge is expected of the reader, only a willingness to venture into little-charted areas of thought.