Rain Vol XII_No 3

Making Europe Unconquerable: i,· The Potential of Civilian-based .Deterrence and Defense, by Gene Sharp, 250 pp., $14.95 from: Ballinger Publishing Company 54 Church Street Harvard Square Cambridge, MA 02138 · National Security Through Civilian-Based Defense, by Gene Sharp, 94 pp., $4.95 from: Association for Transarmament Studies 3636 Lafayette Avenue Omaha, NE 68131 Civilian-based defense is briefly described in the box on page 9. Gene Sharp is the leading proponent and theonst of this strategy of nonviolent resistance. Interestingly, Sharp ap-, proaches civilian-based defense less from a moral standpoint than from a strategic and pragmatic one. He holds that converting an entire population to pacifism is not necessary for civilianbased defense to work; people only must be united in their desire to ·d~f~~d their country in an effective manner: Sharp claims that civilian-based defense is "a policy, not a creed," and is very wary of tying the strategy to any particular type of philosophy. . These two books are Sharp's most recent writings on civilian-based defense. Each provides a good introduction to the strategy. National Security Through Civilian-Based Defense is a · concise general overview, providing basic definitions and descriptions, and identifying 59 areas where further policy research is needed. (Although several historic precendents exist, Sharp readily admits that civilian-b~sed defense, in theory .and in practice, is still in its early stages.) Making Europe Unconquerable is a ·more thorough discussion of the various elements of a civilian-based defens~ strategy, along with proposals for how the shift from a military sti:3tegy to ~ .,, nonviolent one might be effected, set in the context of defending Western Europe. It is not so specific to Western Europe, however, that the general principles 9ould not. easily be applied elsewhere. These two documents are an important contribution to widening the security . debate, and represent a growing interest in non-military alternatives for defense. -FLS Working for Peace: A Handbook of Practical Psychology and Other Tools, edited by Neil Wollman, 1985, 270 pp., $9.95 from: Impact Publishers PO Box 1094 San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 Working for peace is no easy task. Unless you take good care of yourself, develop communication and organiza-. tional skills, and find ways to have fun while doing an otherwise th.ankless and not-so-lucrative job, you're likely to subject yourself to some psychologic;:ll violence along the way. Working for Peace is designed to help you make peace with yourself while being an effective agent for peace in the world. Thirty-five essays by almost as many writers offer suggestions for preventing burnout, improving your personal appeal, overcoming feelings of helplessness and depression, building coalitions, making group decisions, resolving conflicts, communicating to the public, and bringing art, music, theater, and humor into the work for peace. You don't have to be a peace activist to find this book useful. For anyone doing demanding, sometimes frustrating, work tl!it requires effective coinmunicatfon, decision-making, and organization, Working for Peace offers a wealth of guidelines an~ practices to bring you peace of mind. -FLS FROM: Beyond The Bomb (Illustration by Ed Koren) Summer 1986 RAIN Page 11 World Military and Social Expenditures 1985, by Ruth Leger Sivard, 1985, 52 pp., $5 from: World Priorities Box 25140 Washington, DC 20007 This annual° report is packed full of data, organized in. maps, charts, and graphs, that serve to quantify and compare the ·usages of the.world's resources for social and military purposes. It has statistics of social and military indicators in 142 developed and developing countries. Not surprisingly, worldwide priorities favor military might over social welfare. Here are a few telling comparisons: Worldwide spending amounts to $152 per person for military forces, 6¢ per person for international peacekeeping; the U.S. and U.S.S.R., first in military power, rank 14 and 51 among all nations in their infant mortality · rates; 'there is one soldier per 43 people in the world, one physician per 1,030 people. • · For everything you ever wanted to ask about military spenc.iing but were afraid to know, this book tells all. -FLS Peace Resource Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Issues, Groups, and Literature, by Randall Forsberg et al, 1986, 416 pp., $14.95 from: Ballinger Publishing Company 54 Church Street Harvard Square Cambridge, MA 02138 Looking for information on national peace organizations? Trying to compile a list of local peace groups in your area? Looking for peace-oriented educational programs? Compiling a bibliography of peace-related literature? Look here first. Peace Resource Book from the Institute of Defense and Disarmament Studies is indeed "a comprehensive guide." It contains a brief overview of peace issues and strategies, surveying ,the full spectrum of activities froµi traditional disarmament and anti-war efforts to more alternative approaches such as those we discuss in this issue of RAIN. It lists 384 national peace groups, complete with full contact information, brief descriptions, and key words. '1n addition, it offers a telephone directory, alphabetical index, and zipcode-ordered list of 5700 national and local groups from across the country. Over one hundred college programs in peace educa- ~ ,. tion are listed and described, and an

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