Gandhi and the World

The book revisits Gandhi in this era of turbulence. As rigidly held notions and practices fall to pieces, and as mechanisms of violence and politicking fail, Gandhi comes to picture. If Gandhi could change the course of history, there must be elements in his thought and action, which need re-examination for the benefit of human society. This collection of essays seeks to address the question: Is it possible to generate Gandhian optimism and faith in truth and nonviolence in the contemporary world? It argues that there is a need for sustained efforts to make an in-depth study of Gandhian principles to address global problems. The book is a useful addition to the literature in political science and international relations, economics, history, sociology, conflict and peace studies, and a guide for the advocates of peaceful means of conflict resolution.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction: Revisiting Gandhi, by Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra and Yashwant Pathak Chapter 1: Two Worlds: Gandhi and the Modern World, by Johan Galtung Chapter 2: Mahatma Gandhi, International Relations and War, by Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra Chapter 3: The Future of Humanity between War and Peace, by Abdelwahab Hechiche Chapter 4: Satyagraha and the Bodhisattva Way: Spiritual Training for Personal and Political Liberation Today, by Frank M. Tedesco Chapter 5: Swaraj as Blossoming and Satyagraha as Co-Realizations: Compassion, Confrontation and a New Art of Integration, by Ananta Giri Chapter 6: “God is not in Temples, so it doesn’t Matter Who Enters Them”: Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Critique of Gandhi’s Ahimsa principle, and the Problem of Advaita-based Ethics, by Richard Grego Chapter 7: The Concept of Non-violence in the Thinking of Leo N. Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi: Utopia or Reality? By Anna Hamling Chapter 8: Sustainable Development and Tribal Populations: Spiritual and Gandhian Approach, by Ravi Bhatia Chapter 9: Beyond Intolerance: Policies for Ethnic Communities Assimilation in India: A Gandhian Perspective, by Bina Sengar Chapter 10: Applicability of Gandhian Principle of Non-violence in the Ethno-religious Conflicts among Hindu Community of North Carolina, USA, by Narayan Khadka About the Contributors Appendix A: A Message from Tulsi Gabbard, the United States Congresswoman Appendix B: A Message from Ela R. Bhatt, Chancellor, Gujarat Vidyapith

About the Author :
Debidatta Aurobinda Mahapatra is the director of Mahatma Gandhi Center for Non-Violence, Human Rights and World Peace at Hindu University of America. Yashwant Pathak is professor and associate dean for faculty affairs at the College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida (USF).

Review :
"A stimulating collection of essays that explore and reflect on Gandhi’s continued relevance to a wide range of social and political tensions in the twenty-first century." "The book is a principled assault on current traditions of international relations. The declining power of states to protect people or address global problems beyond the power of national states to solve alone, like climate change, necessitates, argues Mahapatra, new mechanisms that transcend state foci on territorial integrity, sovereignty, and dominance of other states. His mechanisms are human security, world citizenship, international norms, global popular action. He cites current difficulties to resolve the civil war in Syria or to arrest fraying U.S. relations with Russia. Nothing concrete on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ISIS, or Boko Haram. His best example is his own work with Kashmiri militants. He could have mentioned the fall of Communism after 1989. Mahapatra does not come to grips with big international problems, for which most people would think humanitarian intervention (use of military force, if possible with U.N. mandate) is necessary. Even Gandhi conceded that, if the choice is between cowardice and violence, he would advise violence. The many believers in Gandhian nonviolent methods have a long struggle ahead. Gandhi’s methods worked to free India from the British, but where else in the anti-imperialist struggle? Not in Algeria. Not in Kenya. Not in Zimbabwe. Not in Vietnam. Why has India’s economic development not followed in his vision of Sarvodaya villages, self-regulated, linked in “oceanic circles”? Hence the focus of IR scholars on power as it is currently exercised. Even a federation of the world would only unite force in the common defense. Very slowly, beginning now in the global South but extending for hundreds of years, Gandhian “values,” including Eastern moral values, should spread throughout world society." Gandhi’s relevance in this age of crises and multi-level conflicts is beyond question. This book is a precious guide to the world of the apostle of truth and nonviolence, providing a deep insight into the Gandhian methods marvelously linked with real life situations. The framework derives from the awareness that contemporary world has increasingly witnessed strenuous relationships between moral and ethical values, and their practice: recent conflicts depict a more polarized and violent world. Gandhi’s principles based on nonviolence as the only strategy for conflict prevention and resolution acquire today a new and innovative value. This book has elaborated an interpretation that gives an answer to the much needed and demanded correct and effective connection between action and values. This stimulating book takes the reader by the hand along an exciting intellectual path in which the Gandhian message emerges in all its significance not only for the construction of our present, but more importantly, for the future.