In a world riven with conflict, violence and war, this book proposes a philosophical defense of pacifism. It argues that there is a moral presumption against war and unless that presumption is defeated, war is unjustified. Leading philosopher of nonviolence Robert Holmes contends that neither just war theory nor the rationales for recent wars (Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars) defeat that presumption, hence that war in the modern world is morally unjustified. A detailed, comprehensive and elegantly argued text which guides both students and scholars through the main debates (Just War Theory and double effect to name a few) clearly but without oversimplifying the complexities of the issues or historical examples. Holmes' Pacifism has both rehabilitated the study of pacifism, and made an indispensable contribution to the debate on the justification of war and warfare. Everyone who reads the book will be better able to imagine pacifism and nonviolence ... All readers will find the book an interesting, eloquently written, and thought-provoking introduction to the growing field of pacifism and warism.