12 years ago Philip Bobbitt published ‘The Shield of Achilles’, positing a central political and creative social role for war. Now Polity Press are publishing some short works on ‘Global Futures’ and one of them is this little book by Christopher Coker of LSE. It is much shorter, and much more accessible, than Bobbitt, and the author sees war as less creative than Bobbitt suggests.
The major question addressed by both is whether war is ‘pathological’ (Rousseau) or ‘normal…
Nicholls, Peter
Nicholls, Peter
Peter Nicholls
28 September 2014Review
3 October 2005Comment
“The sand of the desert is sodden red The gatling' s jammed and the colonel dead The river of death has brimmed its banks...This they all with a joyful mind Bear through life like a torch in flame And, falling, fling to the hosts behind `Play up! play up! and play the game!'"
Henry Newbolt (1862-1938) Vitai Lampada.
"Sport is an unfailing cause ofill-will [and] international sporting contests lead to orgies of hatred"
George Orwell (1945) The…