Unarmed Forces

When we urge that the struggle for justice and peace be nonviolent we often meet with the reply that it is both legitimate and wise to use violence to defend oneself against violence. Many people on the receiving end of violence in the world today are prepared to adopt this view without hesitation. Yet there are others who, though subjected to extreme violence, have decided to carry out their work of resistance and social improvement nonviolently.From June 16 to June 30, 1989, the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University hosted a conference entitled, "Nonviolence in Violent Contexts: Nonviolent Initiatives for Social Change in Central America and the Middle East." This book is based on talks given at that conference.