Against the Hobbesian view that war is the original state of nature, Lummis argues in this provocative study of war that peace is the ordinary state of affairs for human beings, that violence is violence, and that the right of legitimate violence is “modern warfare’s grand enabling clause” (p. xiii). Historically grounded discussions fill in this framework, with attention given to a variety of war-related topics: the role of religion, the meaning of just war, the dehumanization of enemies, the role that rape and pillage play in gendered warfare, and post-traumatic syndrome as a consequence of authorized killing. In conversation with Aquinas, Machiavelli, Weber, and Arendt, Lummis offers an in-depth discussion of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which banned the right of belligerency, and then concludes with a discussion of Gandhi's vision of a radically different political configuration able to generate power and build community through nonviolent noncooperation. Lummis contends that the turn away from war requires collective action that withdraws consent to the right of belligerency. This well-researched, challenging, and original work should be of interest to students of history, international relations, political science, and ethics. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

Choice Reviews

War Is Hell is scholarly, well founded and illuminating. Very original and stimulating, which is characteristic of Doug Lummis.

Shin Chiba, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

Lummis' masterful combination of scholarship, grace, passion, and common sense gives us new ways of thinking about war and peace.

Frank Bardacke

I've followed Charles Douglas Lummis' peace activism and anti-war analyses for years. "War is Hell" in the culmination of his exceptional experience and knowledge. From Dante and Hobbes to Arendt and Walzer, from the scorched earth of Atlanta to the ashes of Tokyo, this book takes us on an intellectual and political journey that energizes us to think tougher thoughts about building peace.

Cynthia Enloe, Author of The Big Push: Exposing and Challenging Persistent Patriarchy