I started Richard Nixon’s 1994 book, Beyond Peace.
So why is this book entitled Beyond Peace? I’m still in the process of figuring that out. At first, I thought that Nixon was saying that we need spirituality to fill our inner void after we have arrived at a state of geo-political peace. In short, my impression was that he was addressing the question of “After peace, then what?” Nixon says that the political activism of the left and the right cannot fulfill people’s deepest needs, even were either side to accomplish its goals for society. And yet, so far at least, the book does not really concentrate on spirituality. Rather, like Seize the Moment, the book contains Nixon’s thoughts about what the U.S. should do about Russia, Asia, and the Middle East. It goes more deeply into domestic policy, however. In light of that, “Beyond Peace” seems to mean what the U.S. should do now that we feel that we have peace, with the Cold War being over. Nixon’s point is that we cannot be complacent, but we must take steps to preserve the peace, for there are still problems in the world, and new problems can re-emerge.
James' Ramblings 