Nonviolence in Political Theory

Develops a coherent theory of nonviolent political action in the context of Western political theory.Nonviolent political action has played a significant role in achieving social and political change in the last century, and continues to be a vital feature of many campaigns for democracy, human rights and social justice. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were prominent proponents of nonviolence in the twentieth century, but nonviolent political action or civil resistance has also been central to toppling communist regimes in Eastern Europe, for example, and more recently in pro-democracy popular movements in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine.Questions about the inevitability or not of violence in human affairs are timeless and universal, but the current international situation (such as the 'war on terror' and debates about more robust forms of peacekeeping) require fresh and innovative responses to this perennial topic. This book offers a timely and thorough examination of the relevance of nonviolence to current debates about political action and political thought.