Declaring War, the Ultimate Betrayal

By: Chris Prior

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Chris Prior argues that declaring war represents the ultimate betrayal of democratic governments’ duty to protect their citizens. Examining the First and Second World Wars and subsequent conflicts, he contends that democracies entered these wars without adequate preparation or coherent strategies for victory, resulting in the loss of millions of lives. In the nuclear age, he warns, this strategic bankruptcy risks nothing less than human extinction.To underline the horror of war, he examines the nature of combat injuries and describes the consequences of just one nuclear detonation. Rather than repeating history, he argues that democracies must learn from past mistakes. Removing threats is far better than preparing for and potentially resorting to war. The book proposes transforming adversarial relationships with Russia and China into genuine partnerships, citing historical precedents such as Franco-German reconciliation. He calls for a Global Treaty Organization and argues that declaring peace and working to secure it better serves democratic interests than perpetual military competition, with its catastrophic consequences.