The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon: Human Security and the New Rules of War and Peace - Hardcover

Carroll Bogert, associate director, Human Rights Watch "The much-abused term 'human security' gets a full-body makeover in Beebe and Kaldor's important new book. They start from the premise that it took Gen. Stanley McChrystal and the U.S. armed forces six years to realize in Afghanistan: ousting even a decidedly abusive government will not succeed without robust and genuine protection of the local population's human rights. Revolutionary, and complicated, and bound to get people in important places arguing." H. R. McMaster, Brigadier General, U.S. Army, and author of Dereliction of Duty "Due to advances in communications and the increasing availability of destructive weapons, it is clear that the security of Western societies is connected to the security of populations where terrorist threats originate. The authors trace the problem of terrorism and other threats to international security to a lack of human security. They argue convincingly that preventing violence requires addressing the conditions that lead to violence. Their argument that a human security paradigm should serve as the basis for policy and strategy is important and is certain to generate valuable discussion and debate." Carroll Bogert, associate director, "Human Rights Watch" "The much-abused term 'human security' gets a full-body makeover in Beebe and Kaldor's important new book. They start from the premise that it took Gen. Stanley McChrystal and the U.S. armed forces six years to realize in Afghanistan: ousting even a decidedly abusive government will not succeed without robust and genuine protection of the local population's human rights. Revolutionary, and complicated, and bound to get people in important places arguing." H. R. McMaster, Brigadier General, U.S. Army, and author of "Dereliction of Duty" "Due to advances in communications and the increasing availability of destructive weapons, it is clear that the security of Western societies is connected to the security of populations where terrorist threats originate. The authors trace the problem of terrorism and other threats to international security to a lack of human security. They argue convincingly that preventing violence requires addressing the conditions that lead to violence. Their argument that a human security paradigm should serve as the basis for policy and strategy is important and is certain to generate valuable discussion and debate." General Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff, British Armed Force "I thoroughly commend this important and readable book. Through a stringent analysis of the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the authors bring to life the complex inter-dependences and breadth of twenty-first-century conflict. A profound shift in security thinking is needed if we are to avoid past mistakes. This book explains why and provides a roadmap of what it should look like." Rory Stewart, Ryan Professor of Human Rights at Harvard University, and author of "The Places In Between" "Mary Kaldor is one of the most thoughtful and impressive analysts of conflict and development alive. From the Balkans to Iraq, I have seen her engage with Marsh Arab commun

This title presents a unique combination of British academic and pacifist and American Lt Colonel with background in political science who develop a shared concept of the nature of violence in the 21st century, and a programme for how to make populations threatened by military, economic, and social upheaval feel secure. The twenty-first century has seen millions unemployed. It has seen livelihoods undermined by environmental degradation. Middle-class cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa have become cauldrons of violence and resentment. Tribalism, ethnic nationalism, and religious fundamentalism have flared dangerously, from Russia to Spain. The use of force is unlikely to help. What works when counter-insurgency has run its course: in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and beyond? In this book, two authors brought together from distant points on the political spectrum by their concerns about the repercussions of violent political conflict on human lives, explain and explore a new idea for stabilising the dangerous neighborhoods of the world. They challenge head-on Condoleezza Rice's declaration that 'it is not the job of the 82nd Airborne Division to escort kids to kindergarten' contending that, in fact, it should be. When marginalized populationsare trapped in poverty and lawlessness and denied political power and justice brutality, and fascism thrive. Human security is a new concept for clarifying what peace requires and the policies and priorities by which to achieve it.