The writer and political activist Victor Hugo proclaimed at the World Peace Congress held in Paris in 1849 that the death penalty must be abolished. Now, 176 years after that historic speech, a new objective is needed: the abolition of war. If war applies the death penalty indiscriminately and without any legal procedure, the only way to avoid this contradiction and crime against humanity is to abolish it. In this book, Martí Olivella proposes a strategy of Nonviolent Self-Defense with Civil Deterrence to prevent armed conflicts and ensure that they never become profitable for a potential aggressor. This strategy maintains the right and duty to defend ourselves against invasion or injustice, but does so intelligently, effectively, and ethically. The author presents information and proposals aimed at the creation of nonviolent self-defense forces within a new security paradigm. An unprecedented but not impossible formulation. This is a highly valuable document for addressing the turbulent times we are living in, and, with tools and arguments, helps build a peaceful and democratic movement. This book points us in the direction of a path that is both necessary and useful.
