Advantages: Peace has every advantage in the world....
Disadvantages: There are no disadvantages to peace...it's Free!

..., everywhere but in Washington , DC, and still in spirit , supporting Dr. King’s work in the field of peace? I was at home that day but my heart, mind and spirit were with Dr. Martin Luther King and with his principles and hopes and prayers for peace for our nation and for our world. So, as you look at the newspapers that were issued that day and as you see thousands that stood there in Washington, DC, KNOW that there were thousands more back at home, at work , at play and at school who were there in ‘spirit’ and in ‘support’ of this great work of peace for our nation and world. We came together in all sizes, shapes, colors, religion, political statuses, and cultural areas of not the nation but from the world, we came together to have our voices heard one more time. And, every single January, in NYC, thousands and thousands... Read review

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Advantages: Subtle, well-argued and historically rooted political theory
Disadvantages: A bit inaccessible to the general reader, perhaps even to the average undergraduate

...of the established powers, and the issues surrounding the century in which total war has become the standard. - The Problem of Peace: Peace through Limitation - The Problem of Peace: Peace through Transformation - The Problem of Peace: Peace through Accommodation These three final sections examine issues such as disarmament, security and international policing, judicial settlements, alliances (looking at the successes and failures of past alliances and organisations), culminating in a candid discussion of the United Nations, both in theoretical (charter) terms and actual practice. Transformative issues include possibilities of world statism, world communalism, and interlocking spheres of cooperation and unity. The final section deals with diplomacy, as both a real and a declining force in politics today. Morgenthau is as likely to pull an example... Read review

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Advantages: Absolute all time classic, rewarding and worthwhile read.
Disadvantages: The sheer length of it and commitment, hard to carry on train !

...This is an epic book (or rather masterpiece) and it has been an epic struggle for me to finish, but very worthwhile. I have to admit it took me an entire year to get through, partly as it was physically too large to take on the train which is when I do most of my reading. Very basically, the book is set around the Napoleonic wars, and in particular, the events that led up to Napoleon's invasion of Russia. It is written from a Russian perspective and gives you access to the main events / battles during that invasion through a hoast of characters / participants. It shows you their different perspectives and how they make sense of their experiences in a very human way, and their micro concerns and personal struggles. Tolstoy also uses the book and the stories to illustrate his own ideas about the driving forces of history, how he... Read review

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Advantages: Intelligence, plot, ideas
Disadvantages: A number of somewhat underdeveloped characters

...One of the best 'hard' science fiction novels of the 1970's was surely Joe Haldeman's 'The Forever War.' This is not strictly speaking a sequel to this novel, but it is a 'companion peace' in as far as the attitude to war and politics is the same. Haldeman, it is clear, has little faith in the American political system, believing it to be wide open to incompetency and corruption. An act of incompetence unknowingly sets in motion the events of Forever War, and much of the danger in Forever Peace stems from mad 'endists', believers in the imminent Armageddon, who invade the political system. These madmen want to provoke war and destruction in order to bring about the end of the world, and much of Forever Peace is concerned with trying to prevent just that. The big s.f. element of danger comes from an experiment that could recreate... Read review

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Advantages: 'The Politics of Jesus' is an ideal 'desert island' choice for anyone interested in Jesus' engagement with politics.
Disadvantages: This is not Yoder's best book. The chapters are of uneven quality and some have been fiercely controverial.

...For anyone who wondered if there was another side to the argument that 'Christians should stay out of politics', John Howard Yoder's classic, 'The Politics of Jesus' is the logical choice. Yoder died in 1997 and in the years following his death there has been no shortage of attempts to sum up his legacy. He was a historian, theologian and ethicist, as well as spokesman for the Mennonite Church on matters of war and peace for many years. However, for many his best known book, 'The Politics of Jesus' remains the chief landmark of his productive life. 'The Politics of Jesus' begins with a simple assertion: that ways have been found to avoid the ethical and political relevance of Jesus, leaving the impression that Jesus' message was somehow otherwordly and 'spiritual' but hardly political. Yoder goes on to show how Jesus proclaimed... Read review

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Advantages: Gives a powerful message to young, and old, readers
Disadvantages: I didn't write it

...When a friend of mine, armed with the knowledge of my interest in all things connected to WWI, recommended a book for me to read, gushing that I'd enjoy it ever-so, my interest was piqued. When she then elaborated and told me it was a children's book, I thought, hmm.... maybe just this once, she's got it horribly wrong. Did she get it wrong? -- Read on. PRIVATE PEACEFUL by MICHAEL MORPURGO Michael Morpurgo wrote this novel after talking to three old farm-workers while researching another book altogether. They had described some of their thoughts about their experiences in WWI in such a way, that he was motivated to write this book. Although it's entirely fictional, the title was inspired by a gravestone he encountered in Ypres, the scene of much of the British tragedy of that war. The structure of the book... Read review

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Advantages: you might like them
Disadvantages: none I hope

...Here are a couple of my poems that are war related but more on the side of peace, which is what we all pray for'. I hope you enjoy them and thanks for reading. I wish you all a life filled with peace, love and harmony, and off course good health. WAR CHILD = Hear them crying in the street, As they take away thier dead, See the childrens ashen faces, Should be safely tucked in bed. No time for childish daydreams, When war dictates your life... Read review

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Advantages: One of my deep thinking Ops
Disadvantages: Also one of my more controversial ones

.... And as a final note, please think about what I have written. Personally I believe both religion and politics should be done away with, and is as I see it the only war to stop the war in the Middle East and bring peace to this planet of ours.... Read review

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Advantages: A very engrossing story and surprisingly good performances
Disadvantages: Slightly over the top penultimate scene

...spoiling the films overall feeling with being purely a political statement. 1994s "The War" manages to achieve than fine balance, admirably delivering a message about the destructive nature of war on family life whilst also charming the audience with a tale about two children and their own battles. The story line to "The War" is a very multileveled experience with different elements seamlessly blending into one with a constant theme about war tying them cleverly together. The first of these storylines focuses on the Vietnam veteran Stephen Simmons and his struggles with life after the war, as not only is he struggling with the trauma of what he witnessed but also coming back to family life where money is short and jobs are hard to come by. This element to the film provides the basis for the whole film as everything ties into Stephen's story... Read review

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Advantages: Epic and interesting
Disadvantages: A long, foreign novel, destined to be admired but unknown

..., the urbane, wealthy and sophisticated Russians in 'War and Peace' have an underlying simplicity (contrasting to the French, and other foreigners', complexity and slyness) that gives them the moral upper hand. One almost hears the echo of 'Simple Gifts' in this Russian epic: Tis a gift to be simple... Yet this is not a stupid or ignorant simplicity. It is a wise state of being. One could imagine Tolstoy being at home with the philosophies of Emerson and Thoreau, and while he might sympathise with Thomas Carlyle in moral and political terms, he would be opposed to his historical hero-worshipful stance, preferring to think of the collective of humanity as the true agent and mover in history. 'War and Peace' is often held up as an example of a long book that nobody can read. This is rubbish. I have three editions, each of which is fewer... Read review

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