Prologue

This book is optimistic in explaining why simple institutions and principles societies can strengthen to help humankind control complex catastrophes that endanger the planet. Security realities of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) do compel pessimism. Yet my argument is that it is possible to abolish WMDs. The journey of a revived peace movement can grow institutional capability to conquer climate catastrophe, pandemics, economic crises, and to secure peace from smaller wars. The book develops a dialectics of alternating between understanding complex ways of grappling with complexity and simple principles that are generative of nuanced response to complexity.