The Unconquerable World Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People

"This book mounts perhaps the most impressive argument ever made that there exists a viable and desirable alternative to the continued reliance on war."-The New York Times At times of global crisis, Jonathan Schell's writings have offered important alternatives to conventional thinking. Now, as conflict escalates around the world, Schell gives us an impassioned, provocative book that points the way out of the unparalleled devastation of the twentieth century toward another, more peaceful path. Tracing the expansion of violence to its culmination in nuclear stalemate, Schell uncovers a simultaneous but little-noted history of nonviolent action at every level of political life. His investigation ranges from the revolutions of America, France, and Russia, to the people's wars of China and Vietnam, to the great nonviolent events of modern times-including Gandhi's independence movement in India and the explosion of civic activity that brought about the surprising collapse of the Soviet Union. Suggesting foundations of an entirely new kind on which to construct an enduring peace,The Unconquerable Worldis a bold book of sweeping significance. Jonathan Schell, the author of several works, includingThe Time of Illusion,The Fate of the Earth, andThe Village of Ben Suc, has been a contributor toThe Nation,The New Yorker,Harper's, andForeign Affairs, and has taught at Wesleyan, Princeton, and Emory, among other universities. He lives in New York. At times of global crisis, Jonathan Schell's writings have presented influential alternatives to conventional, dead-end thinking. His classic bestseller,The Fate of the Earth, was hailed by theNew York Timesas "an event of profound historical moment." Now, as the world stands once more on the brink of upheaval, Schell reenters the fray with a lucid, impassioned, provocative book that points the way out of the unparalleled devastation that marked the twentieth century toward another, more peaceful path. Tracing the unlimited expansion of violence to its culmination in nuclear stalemate, Schell uncovers a simultaneous but little-noted history of nonviolent action at every level of political life. His historical journey turns up seeds of nonviolence even in the bloody revolutions of America, France, and Russia, as well as in the people's wars of China and Vietnam. And his investigations into familiar historyfrom Gandhi's independence movement in India to the explosion of civic activity that brought about the unpredicted collapse of the Soviet Unionsuggest foundations of an entirely new kind on which to construct an enduring peace. At a time when all-out war, with its risk of human extinction, must cease to play the role of final arbiter,The Unconquerable World, a bold book of global significance, offers the only realistic hope of safety. "[Schell] argues that what we are witnessing today is nothing less than the end of armed conflict as we know it. The 'war system' that long pitted nations against one another is dying, undone by politics and the development of ever more potent weapons. A new, nonviolent approach to politics is about to take its place . . . The vision he paints of his imagined future is a glorious one."Jonathan D. Tepperman,The New York Times Book Review "UndoubtedlyThe Unconquerable Worldis Mr. Schell's most ambitious, and over time will be regarded as his most significant, work. Although it can be read as a timely and provocative commentary on the militarization of American foreign policy during the Bush presidency, its concerns run far deeper, challenging the strong linkage between national security and war that has dominated both political consciousness and international relations for centuries. . . The book mounts perhaps the most impressive a

Author of groundbreaking works, including The Fate of the Earth, The Village of Ben Suc, and The Gift of Time (0-8050-5961-X), Jonathan Schell is a regular contributor to Harper's, Foreign Affairs, and The Nation. He lives in New York City.