Global Warming, Militarism and Nonviolence The Art of Active Resistance [Hardcover]

Militarism is the elephant in the room of global warming. Of all government sectors, 'Defence' has the highest carbon footprint and expenditure, yet has largely been exempt from international scrutiny and regulation. Marty Branagan uses Australian and international case studies to show that nonviolence is a viable alternative to militarism for national defence and regime change. 'Active resistance', initiated in Australian environmental blockades and now adopted globally, makes the song 'We Shall Not Be Moved' much more realistic, as activists erect tripod villages, bury, chain and cement themselves into the ground, and 'lock-on' to machinery and gates. Active resistance, 'artistic activism', and use of new information and communication technologies in movements such as the Arab Spring and 'Occupy' demonstrate that nonviolence is an effective, evolving praxis.1. Global Warming and Militarism 2. Fighting Fire With Water: Nonviolent Alternatives to Militarism 3. Australian Eco-Pax Activism 4. Active Resistance: We Shall Never Be Moved 5. Internetworking 6. Artistic Activism 7. Creating Campaigns and Constructive Programmes

Marty Branagan's book is the first in the field of peace studies that links anthropogenic climate change with the staggering worldwide costs of war-preparedness. His spirited defence of nonviolence as an alternative to militarism is not only well-supported by historical and contemporary examples, but also features original perspectives on creative forms of activism and on contributions to the repertoire of peaceful methods for social and political change that have been contributed by campaigns in Australia and elsewhere. This is a very worthwhile addition to the literature on nonviolence by an author who is both a scholar and an activist drawing on personal experience. - Michael Allen Fox, Queen's University, Canada

Too often there is a failure of creative imagination about alternatives to violence, including ecological l£}