We live amid escalating worldwide destruction and war. How do we make sense of it? In her enduring analysis of violence, [the author] points out that the glorification of violence is not restricted to a small minority of militants and extremists. The public revulsion for violence that followed World War II has dissipated, as have the nonviolent philosophies of the early civil-rights movement. How did this reversal come about? And where will it lead us? To answer these questions, [the author] puts theories about violence in historical perspective and reexamines the relationship between war and politics, violence and power. -Back cover.