War and Delusion

Calhoun examines the centuries-old paradigm of just war theory to determine whether modern 'just war' rationalizations constitute sound justifications or pro-military propaganda. Her work reveals how the practice of modern war contradicts the most basic values and principles of modern Western democracies.

'This work is timeless and timely. It is timely because it helps shed light on our understanding of contemporary wars beyond the just war paradigm; it is timeless because the critique is well crafted and substantive [enough] to endure the test of time. The author manages to demolish the just war paradigm brick by brick all the way down to its very foundation...she exposes its emptiness for all to see and pushes students of war to seek new and better understandings of why we go to war and how we should conduct wars in the 21st century.' Ajume H. Wingo, Director, Center for Values and Social Policy, and Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder "Laurie Calhoun provides a passionate, provocative, challenging and inspiring critique of the war ideology. She uncovers the rhetoric behind the justification for the use of violence, and shows how powerful and pervasive is the machine designed to criminalize opponents. It is well known that these methods of propaganda have been widely used by totalitarian regimes, but this book confirms that liberal democracies are equally using them and that the populace is unaware and manipulated. To unmask this ideological apparatus is a fundamental precondition to sustain the hope of making war obsolete as a method to sort out controversies." - Daniele Archibugi, Italian National Research Council, Rome and Birkbeck College, University of London, and author of The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy

Laurie L. Calhoun is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Oakland, California, USA