Nuclear strategy and the code of the warrior : faces of Mars and Shiva in the crisis of human survival

The preface to this anthology begins, “Nuclear war sits as a kind of zen riddle in the heart of modern civilization.” The goal of Nuclear Strategy is to publish essays, poems, a play, and a round-table discussion in an attempt to go beyond the current fixation of arms-control agendas emphasizing détente and missile-counting to discover assumptions and inherited wisdom from many quarters about the conduct of war and war-making. What would be an alternative future to having the planet in perpetual thrall to nuclear warfare? What constitutes honorable warfare? The pieces seek to uncover the “hidden drives that cause us to make war –the unconscious myths and belief systems that prevent us from becoming a planetary community.” (Gordon Feller) The round-table discussion chaired by Hough and Grossinger pulled together the views of martial artists Bira Almeida (capoeira), Richard Heckler (aikido), and Martin Inn (t’ai chi); poet Gary Snyder, theater and video artist Karin Epperlein on the peace movement, the role of the professional military, dualism, and the possibility of warriors without war. Contributors include James Hillman, Charlene Soretnak, Arch Obler, Thomas Powers, Freeman Dyson, Charles Ponce, Jed Rasula, and Sri Chinmoy.