Overview

Staughton Lynd was one of the principal intellectuals and activists making the radical argument that the U.S. intervention in Vietnam was illegal under domestic and international law. Lynd was uncompromising in his courageous stance that the U.S. should immediately withdraw from Vietnam, and that soldiers and draftees should refuse to participate in the war based on their individual conscience and the Nuremberg Principles of 1950. Lynd did not just write about opposing the war, he was one of the chief proponents of direct action and civil disobedience to confront the war machine at the university, in the halls of power, and in everyday life through refusing to pay income taxes. As Staughton Lynd's speeches, writings, statements and interviews demonstrate, there were coherent and persuasive arguments against the war in Vietnam based on U.S. and international law, precedents from American history, and moral and ethical considerations based on conscientious objection to war and an internationalism embraced by American radicals which said: ""My country is the world, my countrymen are all mankind.""

Full Product Details

9781642598476

Table of Contents

Reviews

Staughton Lynd led a truly exemplary life. -Noam Chomsky This collection could not come at a more important moment, in the wake of Staughton Lynd's death, documenting his tireless writing and speaking to end the cruel US war of aggression against the Vietnamese people, an important intervention at this time of United States' renewed war mongering in the South China Sea. -Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, writer and historian My Country Is the World is a brilliant and incisive text, taking us back to Staughton Lynd's days at the leadership, politically, personally and even spiritually, of the anti-Vietnam War movement. Lynd was the voice of the deep sentiments for peace, beyond the usual left-of-center opposition to the very heartland of opposition. He found that heartland before any others, and his contribution was vast. -Paul Buhle, Senior Lecturer, Retired American Studies, Brown University My husband, David Mitchell spent two years in jail for challenging the draft based on the principles established at Nuremberg after WWII. The Supreme Court ruled against hearing his case however, Justice Douglas, in a dissenting opinion, said that his case raised sensitive and delicate questions that should be heard and addressed. David and I greatly respected and admired the work of Alice and Staughton Lynd during the Vietnam period and throughout their lives.Luke Stewart's collection of Staughton Lynd's writing, speeches and statements is an important reflection of that tumultuous period and provides deeper insight into the growth of the anti-war movement. It is a valuable addition to the literature of the period. -Ellen S. Mitchell

My Country Is the World is a brilliant and incisive text, taking us back to Staughton Lynd's days at the leadership, politically, personally and even spiritually, of the anti-Vietnam War movement. Lynd was the voice of the deep sentiments for peace, beyond the usual left-of-center opposition to the very heartland of opposition. He found that heartland before any others, and his contribution was vast. -Paul Buhle, Senior Lecturer, Retired American Studies, Brown University

Author Information

Luke Stewart is a historian focusing on the antiwar movements during the Vietnam War and the global war on terror. He has co-edited Let Them Stay: U.S. War Resisters in Canada, 2004-2016. He currently lives in Nantes, France.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available