Books

Fred Dallmayr, Peace Talks — Who Will Listen? (South Bend, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2004).

In his Complaint of Peace, the great 16th-Century humanist Erasmus allowed “Peace” to talk. She was portrayed as a plaintiff protesting her shabby treatment at the hands of humankind and our ever-ready inclination to launch wars. Against this lure of warfare, Erasmus pitted the higher task of peacebuilding, which can only succeed through the cultivation of justice and respect for all human life. First articulated in 1517, this complaint has echoed through centuries and down to our own age, convulsed by world wars, holocausts, and ethnic cleansings. Political theorist Fred Dallmayr traces the complaint from Erasmus through the evolution of the “law of nations” to recent and contemporary co-plaintiffs in both West and East. In addition to Erasmus, the book engages such thinkers and political figures as Francisco de Vitoria, Hugo Grotius, Hannah Arendt, John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum, the Mahatma Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama. The book pleads for greater attentiveness to Peace's complaint as an antidote to the prevailing culture of violence and the escalating danger of nuclear catastrophe.

John Paul Lederach, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005). John Paul Lederach examines the spirituality that moves ordinary people to reject violence and seek reconciliation. The moral imagination, he writes, is “the capacity to imagine something rooted in the challenges of the real world, yet capable of giving birth to that which does not yet exist.” He wrote The Moral Imagination for scholars and professionals like himself who are engaged in conflict transformation, mediation, restorative justice, and peace building, as well as for anyone who seeks political reconciliation. Its guiding stories describe people Lederach encountered in the field, living amid overwhelming violence, who were true to themselves, but who also refused to fall prey to narrow “either/or” choices.

James P. Sterba, The Triumph of Practice over Theory in Ethics (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005). Aristotelian ethics, Kantian ethics, and utilitarian ethics have been the main options within Western ethics, and the central task has been to determine which of the three is right. Sterba argues that advocates of these three theories have jettisoned much of what had originally distinguished them so that they no longer differ in the practical requirements they endorse. This makes the resolution of moral problems far easier. Sterba drives home his claims by taking up some of the most challenging moral problems of our time: sexual harassment, affirmative action, and international terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Andrew Weigert, Religious and Secular Views on Endtime (Lampeter, Wales: Edwin Mellen Press, 2004). A salient construct for grasping the human condition is endtime, or narrative transformation of a current situation into religious or secular contexts. In this book, Andrew Weigert builds on a sociological approach to cognition, emotions and constructions of time to show the motivational force of endtime thinking and identity. Using six narratives, he illustrates the transformative power of religious narratives by contrasting them with those that are political and scientific. Any competent person can participate in these narratives, the author contends, and the world they describe applies to all humans and their environments. He concludes that each person is responsible for choosing a narrative both to believe and to enact.

Chapters

R. Scott Appleby, “Disciples of the Prince of Peace? Christian Resources for Nonviolent Peacebuilding,” in James L. Heft, S.M., Beyond Violence: Religious Sources of Social Transformation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (New York: Fordham University Press, 2004), pp. 113-144. In this essay Appleby, building on the example of Marc Gopin’s retrieval of Jewish sources, examines Christian practices, rituals and teachings that bear upon peace-building. Among his themes: What can other Christians learn from the historic peace churches? With regard to the Catholic tradition: How might the theology underlying the sacraments of eucharist and reconciliation inform Catholic social teaching and practices of peace-making? How does confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation find expression in conflict resolution beyond the parish? In addition, Appleby explores cases of Christian-inspired conflict transformation efforts in Northern Ireland, Mozambique, Algeria and elsewhere.

R. Scott Appleby, “The Theo- democratic Vision of Religious Fundamentalists,” in David Odell-Scott, ed., Democracy and Religion: Free Exercise and Diverse Visions (Kent, Ohio: The Kent State University Press, 2004), pp. 1-16. In this keynote address edited for publication, Appleby examines the writings of Maulana Maududi, the 20th century South Asian Muslim thinker, whose concept of “theo-democracy” became fundamental to the political ideas of Islamists from North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. The Islamists seek to structure society on the basis of Islamic law, and to empower Muslims to enact that law through democratic processes. Appleby’s essay considers the challenges and tensions inherent in that proposition.

David Cortright and George A. Lopez, “Reforming Sanctions,” in The UN Security Council: From the Cold War to the 21st Century, David M. Malone, ed. (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2004), pp. 167-179. Cortright and Lopez trace the development of UN sanctions, beginning with the Iraq case in 1990 and continuing with more recent cases in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. They examine various proposals for mitigating adverse humanitarian consequences of sanctions and for improving the effectiveness of this frequently employed tool of Security Council policy. Policy innovations during the 1990s reviewed by the chapter include the shift toward the use of targeted rather than comprehensive trade sanctions, and the use of special investigative panels to identify sanctions violations and propose steps toward improved compliance. The chapter concludes with a summary of the most important recommendations for sanctions reform.

Cynthia Mahmood, “Sikhs in Canada: Identity and Commitment,” in Paul Bramadat and David Seljak, eds., Religion and Ethnicity in Canada (Toronto: Pearson-Longman, 2004), pp. 52-68. The outcome of a three-year Canadian government project, the volume in which this article appears is a major resource on the current state of religion, ethnicity, and policy in Canada. The chapter on “Sikhs in Canada” interrogates the role of Sikhs in the East Indian mosaic in Canada, focusing on the problematic intersection of language, race, politics, and belief in Sikh identities across the nation. Recent issues of terrorism and discrimination have brought Sikh Canadians to the forefront of public policy debates, challenging reliance on traditional models of tolerant coexistence.

Articles

R. Scott Appleby, “The Study, Practice and Construction of Religion: The Case for Peacebuilding,” Criterion, vol. 43 (Autumn 2004), 2-7, 30. The study, practice and construction of religion are irrevocably joined in religious peacebuilding, Appleby contends in this published version of his Alumnus of the Year address at the University of Chicago Divinity School (April 29, 2004). He explains that religious peacebuilding theoretically draws upon and incorporates every religious community and confessional stance. As a scholar, the religious peacebuilder does not promote a particular faith tradition, but all elements within religious communities that promote peace. Appleby writes: “My colleagues and I are promoting a certain style, mode and presence of religion in the public sphere.”

Fred Dallmayr, “The Law of Peoples and the Laws of War,” Peace Review, vol. 16 (September 2004), 269-277. The essay traces the development of the “law of peoples” from the Roman jus gentium to its great revival by the Spanish School of Salamanca (especially Vitoria and Suarez) to its canonization in the modern form of a “law of nations” (especially Hugo Grotius) to its philosophical refinement in the work of Immanuel Kant and finally to its reformulation for contemporary purposes by John Rawls. As the essay demonstrates, the “law of peoples” has always given primacy to peace and has severely restricted warfare, limiting the “right to war” (ius ad bellum) to a last resort and to cases of direct or imminent attack, while banishing wars of aggression or conquest. Why should we now abandon this venerable legacy?

Fred Dallmayr, “The Dignity of Difference: A Tribute to Jonathan Sacks” (Review Essay), Millenium, vol. 33 (2004), 397-405. The essay offers reflections on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ book The Dignity of Difference, in which Sacks argues for the cultivation of inter-faith and interethnic toleration. Sacks insists that tolerance is insufficient as long as it merely recognizes the sameness in all human beings and does not extend to the appreciation of significant modes of religious, ethnic and cultural difference or otherness.

Alan Dowty, “Hesitant Hegemon: The United States and the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse,” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, vol. 6 (Summer 2004), 1-16 www.jmss.org/index2.shtml. Since June 2002, U.S. policy toward Israeli-Palestinian issues has been based on a call for a change of Palestinian leaders, but without an operational strategy for helping to bring such change about. This has left Arab-Israeli diplomacy where it was before 1993: without a credible Palestinian negotiating partner, which plays into the hands of the opponents of the peace process on both sides. What is needed, the author argues, is nothing less than a concerted effort of nation-building in the West Bank and Gaza, carried out in an international format under U.S. leadership. Trends in opinion on both sides are increasingly favorable to such an initiative.

Agustin Fuentes, “It’s Not All Sex and Violence: Integrated Anthropology and the Role of Cooperation and Social Complexity in Human Evolution,” American Anthropologist, vol. 106, no. 4 (2004), 710-718. The investigation into the evolution of human “nature” frequently focuses on the relative importance of competition versus cooperation in our evolutionary history, resulting in a primary emphasis on competition, aggression, and war in attempting to understand humanity. Anthropologists have demonstrated that humans can — and usually do — get along. This article summarizes elements of modern ecological and evolutionary theory in the context of human cooperative patterns to illustrate the valuable role of peace in integrative approaches to understanding the human condition.

Robert C. Johansen, “Reviving Peacebuilding Tools Ravished by Terrorism, Unilateralism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction,” International Journal of Peace Studies 9, vol. 2 (Winter 2004), 31-55. Three major developments threaten to undermine tools of peacemaking that have been developed in the latter half of the 20th century: the danger of terrorist attacks similar to those of September, 2001; the U.S. endorsement of pre-emptive and preventive war; and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Despite difficulties, Johansen writes, the United Nations remains the most legitimate institution for developing a global strategy to address these problems and respond to humanitarian emergencies. He urges those seeking to strengthen U.N. peace operations to encourage political leaders and civil societies to revive and respect international legal constraints on the use of collective violence. He makes the case for establishment of a permanent, transnational police force to address pressing security issues.

A. Rashied Omar, “The Significance of the Holy Land in Our Sacred Stories,” Interreligious Insight, vol. 2 (October 2004). It has become almost a cliché in inter-religious dialogue to assert that Judaism, Christianity and Islam have a great deal in common. All three traditions are monotheistic and trace their spiritual roots to the story of the Patriarchal Prophet, Abraham. Because of this commonality, the three faiths are clustered together and categorized in the comparative study of religion as the Abrahamic Religions. In this article, the author looks at the other side of this relationship. He contends that history has taught the counterintuitive lesson that often commonality or sameness is far more a source of conflict than difference.

Daniel Philpott, “Religious Freedom and the Undoing of the Westphalian State,” Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 25, no. 4 (Summer 2004), 991-998. Contemporary trends peel back the absolute sovereignty of the state, which was established at the Peace of Westphalia, thus creating a historical parallel with contestation between sovereignty and allegedly universal norms that characterized early modern Europe. While this creates new possibilities for justice, as exemplified by the rise of humanitarian intervention, it also yields contestation, especially over norms whose universality is disputed — such as religious freedom. Though there are advantages and disadvantages to pursuing a foreign policy of religious freedom, Philpott argues, the case in its favor is ultimately stronger.

Oliver F. Williams, CSC, “The UN Global Compact: The Challenge and the Promise,” Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 4, (2004), 755-774. Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, addressing the Davos World Economic Forum in January 1999, challenged business leaders to join a “global compact of shared values and principles” and to provide globalization with a human face. Annan argued that shared values provide a stable environment for a world market and that without these explicit values business could expect backlashes from protectionism, populism, fanaticism and terrorism. Following the 1999 Davos meeting, Annan and a group of business leaders formulated the UN Global Compact, 10 principles concerning human rights, labor, the environment, and corruption. Although the Compact has more than 1,000 signatory companies throughout the world, relatively few major U.S. companies have signed. The article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the compact and offers insight from the ethical literature that may address U.S. company concerns or provide new ways of thinking about the issues. The article argues that the overall thrust of the compact is to accent the moral purpose of business and that the forum provided by the compact may be the most effective means to gain consensus on the role of business in society.

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