War

The new imperialism - the era of colonialism may be over, but it has been replaced by a new era of economic and intellectual imperialism, enforced by the Bretton Woods and allied institutions, for the benefit of trans-national corporations. Preface to a book by Shri Faizi Shahul.

Ethnocracy: the lesson from Africa - this controversial article sets out the roots of Africa's continuing wars, strife and poverty as the outcome of the colonial powers' creation of artificial borders that defy ethnic and religious boundaries. Now frozen in the modern nations of Africa, these boundaries combined with the tribalisation of politics have created a mess from which it will be near impossible for Africa to emerge. But the federal system of Germany and the Cantons of Switzerland offer a model for a more peaceful and secure future. Published in The Ecologist Vol. 10 No. 4, April / May 1980.

The ecology of war - this article explains how traditional wars were ritualised conflicts in which mortality was minimised, in contrast to the mass death and destruction of modern industrial modes of warfare. Originally published in The Ecologist in May 1974, then in Le Sauvage in April 1975 (France). A revised version appeared as Chapter 6 of The Great U-Turn in 1988.