If people do not want violence to continue at its present level, decisions have to be made. We know that no decision can be better than the information on which that decision is based. That is the seminal idea that led to the writing of this volume. A well-known and well-respected group of contributors provides information that can assist decision-makers with their difficult task.
This book examines violence. It looks at the nature and types of violence, the causes of violence, and the emotional wake left by violent episodes. In the twentieth century, the world experienced two world wars and countless other wars. Many millions died violent deaths from murder, death squads, purges, riots, revolutions, ethnic cleansing, rape, robbery, domestic violence, suicide, gang violence, terrorist acts, genocide, and in many other ways. As we entered the twenty-first century, we experienced 9/11, the Red Lake School deaths, suicide bombers, and more mass death brought about by the actions of governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and still more wars. The need to better understand violence, both lethal and non-lethal, to become aware of the many forms of violence, and to learn how to survive in the aftermath of violent death are the focus of Perspectives on Violence and Violent Death. People are urgently seeking answers to these problems of violence, in its many forms. Some individuals and groups work to limit violence in a particular area. Others want to address broader issues, to limit violence in all of its many forms. If people do not want violence to continue at its present level, decisions have to be made. We know that no decision can be better than the information on which that decision is based. That is the seminal idea that led to the writing of this volume. A well-known and well-respected group of contributors provides information that can assist decision-makers with their difficult task.
