Is it possible to abolish war? This is the fundamental question animating Winston Langley’s book, Abolishing War (The Policy and Practice of Governance). And, though many will disagree, it is a question to which the author is persuaded the answer is yes. Far from being utopian ideals, Langley argued, international security and peace are attainable, as are their necessary corollaries: protection of the environment, conservation of natural resources, and fair enforcement of all human rights. To that end, he proposed a radically altered United Nations ― one that will afford the effective system of global governance that we all desire.

About the Speaker

Winston Langley is professor emeritus in Political Science & International Relations, Senior Fellow at the John McCormack School for Policy & Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He holds degrees in biology, diplomatic history, political science and international relations. He also holds a degree in law. His fulltime academic life was defined by teaching courses on the UN, models of world order, international political economy, and US foreign policy; by academic administration; and by scholarship, covering over a hundred articles and fifteen books, the most recent of which is Abolishing War, published by Lynne Rienner last year.