Introduction

Peace is the moment when history catches its breath in order to hurl itself once more into war. Partial destruction or assimilation of the other, the diminution of the other's territory, tribute that must be paid—whatever the clauses of a peace treaty, they always imply to a greater or lesser extent the absorption of the "other" into the "same." In the most seemingly intense war, there is always something beyond our comprehension that allows success at peacemaking, just as in the most seemingly stable peace, something may trigger a war when least expected. Speech is far more often contaminated by the terminology of war than enriched by the language of peace. The history of humanity is far less the history of peace than the history of war. Though facing the facts of history and their implications, we must note that the aspiration to peace is also a reality.