Alex J. Bellamy World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It)
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702020976616 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| Author | Colin McCullough |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
Book Reviews
Alex J. Bellamy
World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It),
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 288pp. $25.95 (hardcover)
ISBN: 978–0–19–883352–9
Reviewed by: Colin McCullough (colin.mccullough@ryerson.ca), Ryerson University, Toronto,
Canada
Alex Bellamy’s book, World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It), is a philosoph-
ical discussion of the nature of war and peace, a historical examination of efforts
for world peace, and a political call to action, as the subtitle makes clear. In 2020,
Bellamy fears, those who speak about world peace tend to be dismissed as day-
dreamers. He insists that, on the contrary, those who are working for world peace
are cognizant that “[p]eace is something for which every generation will have to
struggle” (p. ix).
There is an energy in this book’s pragmatism as it seeks to restore world peace
to a place of political and philosophical prominence. He lays out the book’s aim on
the first page of Chapter 1: “I want to persuade you that world peace is a
serious question that merits attention, research, thought, debate, activism, and
action” (p. 1). Bellamy’s approach flows directly from his career: he has spent
more than a decade working to promote the responsibility to protect principle.
The book is organized into eight chapters that provide discussions of both past
efforts at world peace and whether humans are biologically programmed for war,
as well as chronological explanations of the status of war and the role of the state
in promoting peace in our present world.
The final chapter lays out Bellamy’s agenda to achieve world peace. It is the
strongest of the chapters, and one which should give everyone who reads it moti-
vation to commence or continue their own efforts. His is a program that includes
tangible steps, builds upon the existing international infrastructure, and recognizes
that much of the work towards genuine world peace needs to involve gender
equality and gender security.
Bellamy’s approach to peace is an adaptation of Immanuel Kant’s view of
“perpetual peace,” which the philosopher advanced in 1795. It called for ordered
relations among states so as to build a law-abiding community and world
International Journal
2020, Vol. 75(4) 673–684
!The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702020976616
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