Just Policing, Not War: An Alternative Response to World Violence
"If September 11, 2001 was murder rather than war then we  desperately need an account of what just policing might look like. Which  means this book is extremely important. For here we have the beginnings of  an exploration of what just policing might actually entail not only  theoretically but also in practice. Not only are the war/pacifism  investigated, but also the institutional questions surrounding  international relations as well as what the Church must be if just policing  is possible are explored in these essays. I cannot recommend this book  highly enough for anyone concerned with issues of war and peace." --Stanley Hauerwas, Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke  University, Divinity School, Durham, North Carolina"In proposing the concept of `just policing,' this book breaks new  ground in the long discussion between Christians committed to pacifism and  those utilizing a `Just War' framework. A focus on policing rather than on  war responds to the need for order in society, which both sides would agree  is necessary, while at the same time exemplifying the limitations to force  that the just war theory calls for. `Just Policing' also provides a fresh  way to conceptualize possible responses in the current struggle against  terrorism. Schlabach and his collaborators are to be commended for both  their exploration of practical examples, and their underlying commitment to  searching for common ground between `just war' and pacifist Christians.  Pacifists will find much to ponder here, as they seek ways to respond to  the need for peace and order in the world without using violence." --Judy Zimmerman Herr, Co-Director, MCC Peace Office, Mennonite  Central Committee, Akron, PA"Jane Jacobs, prohibition, and the chaos created by military  intrusions in Iraq all remind us that policing can only work when a  relatively coherent `relationality' renders disruptive elements marginal.  These essays draw on two complementary sets of religious practices to  suggest how an international police action could be shaped as an effective  alternative to the invariably counter-productive imposing a `military  solution,' so allowing political and ecclesial analyses to converge towards  imagining fresh forms of order." --David Burrell, C.S.C., Hesburgh Professor in Philosophy and  Theology, University of Notre Dame"What makes us uncomfortable intellectually as well as practically  is usually something that challenges our way of understanding and acting.  The uncomfortable feeling is often an indication that creativity is at work  in a way that makes us look at what we have ignored. Just Policing, Not  War, makes me uncomfortable as a pacifist. But perhaps it is in the  creative challenging even of what is dear to me--pacifism--that something  new and wonderful can be born. The book is eminently worthwhile precisely  in its challenge to the just war and the pacifist traditions." --Rene McGraw