Abstract

In the past quarter century our world has hosted ninety-nine wars, twenty-nine of these are ongoing. The bill for maintaining huge stores of weapons and some 70 million people in uniform currently stands at $1.7 trillion a year. Of these wars, over 85 percent are not settled on the battlefield; they are fought to desperately hurting stalemates, eventually being turned over to diplomats and politicians who go in search of whatever face-saving outcomes may still be available. And yet, abandoning the conference table in favour of the battlefield is still justified when viewed as a last resort.

In this brave and discerning book, Ernie Regehr, OC, explains the approaches and initiatives needed to steer away from the futility of global military effort. Combining four decades of experience in conflict zones, advising and leading diplomacy efforts, building NGOs and contributing to the adoption of the Responsibility to Protect Act by the World Assembly, Regehr boldly shows that political stability will never be issued from the barrel of a gun.

Ernie Regehr OC is co-founder of Project Ploughshares, one of Canada’s leading peace and security NGOs, senior fellow in Arctic security at The Simons Foundation of Vancouver, and research fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Grebel University College, the University of Waterloo.

'Disarming Conflict provides one of the most succinct and persuasive cases for the mitigation and drawing down of modern warfare, not just for its brutality and destructiveness, but for its inability to fulfill its own deluded purpose.'
Literary Review of Canada

‘From Afghanistan and Iraq to Sudan and beyond, this book exposes the futility of war. A must read for anyone who wants to live in a world where conflicts are resolved without resorting to death, destruction and the agony of violence.’
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK for Peace

'Disarming Conflict made me want to stand up and cheer – finally, a book that confronts, articulately and impeccably, modern assumptions about the utility of war in resolving global disputes. I will be quoting liberally from Disarming Conflict for years to come.'
Samantha Nutt, author of Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid

'A masterpiece highly recommended to commanders-in-chief, diplomats, and peacemakers. Let us heed the call and invest just as much in peace diplomacy as we do in arms.'
Ambassador Bethuel A. Kiplagat, founder of the Africa Peace Forum

'Studious, graceful, and authentic, Regehr's writing shatters the illusion that war is necessary for peace.'
Douglas Roche, former Canadian Senator, ambassador, and author

'Disarming Conflict is warmly recommended for those who still cling to the stereotypes of dreamily idealistic peaceniks and hard-nosed warriors – for after reading Regehr’s calm, rigorous, and utterly persuasive analysis, they will find their worldview permanently and usefully unsettled.'
Ian McKay, Queen’s University

'Powerful, comprehensive, and eminently practical …'
PeggyMason, president of Rideau Institute

'Regehr brings a wealth of knowledge and many years of thought to the issue of conflict and gives us a powerful counter to the deeply embedded assumption that there are seldom alternatives to war.'
Paul Rogers, Bradford University

'Regehr’s in-depth explanation of conflicts around the world is both informative and fascinating.'
Sandra Ruch, National Coordinator, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace

'An indispensable read for all people who desire peace.'
Heather Eaton, Saint Paul University

'A solid critique of the futility of war. Leaders around the globe would be well advised to heed its call for conflict-prevention strategies and a sustained investment in the peaceful settlement of disputes.'
Paul Meyer, Simon Fraser University