War and Democracy is a compelling anthology of essays by Paul Gottfried, in which he delves into a vast range of historical and contemporary issues. Gottfried astutely scrutinizes the ambitious and arguably misguided aspiration of Western powers to propagate democracy universally, a mission that often ends in catastrophe and the erosion of personal freedoms. The author takes readers on a journey through the shifting landscape of the modern West, a place where the essence of foundational concepts has been twisted, giving birth to a society estranged from its roots. Championing the early tenets of the conservative movement, Gottfried proclaims the necessity for society to evolve organically, resisting the oppressive yoke of coercion and bureaucracy. This insightful work disrupts traditional viewpoints on war, democracy, and societal metamorphosis. “The notion that all countries must be brought — willingly or kicking and screaming — into the democratic fold is an invitation to belligerence. The notion that only democracies such as ours can be peaceful is what Edmund Burke called an ‘armed doctrine.’ … It is simply ridiculous to treat the pursuit of peace based on world democratic conversion as a peaceful enterprise. This is a barely disguised adaptation of the Communist goal of bringing about world harmony through worldwide socialist revolution.”