The Greatest Evil is War

Now with a new preface for the paperback edition by the author, an unflinching indictment of the horror and obscenity of war by one of our finest war correspondents. Drawn from experience and interviews by Pulitzer-prize-winner Chris Hedges, The Greatest Evil is War provides a devastating look into the hidden costs of war, highlighting what it does to individuals, families, communities, and nations.

"A remarkable record of reporting and analysis. . . A contribution of great significance in these troubled times." -Noam Chomsky

In the twenty years since the publication of War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, Chris Hedges had not wanted to write another book on the subject of war—until now, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

In fifteen short chapters, Chris Hedges astonishes us with his clear and cogent argument against war, not on philosophical grounds or through moral arguments, but through an irrefutable stream of personal encounters with the victims of war. These include veterans, parents, gravely wounded American servicemen who served in the Iraq War, Holocaust survivors, and soldiers from the Falklands War, among others. Hedges reported from Sarajevo and was in the Balkans to witness the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Today it is important again to be reminded who are the victors of the spoils of war and of other unerring truths, not only in this war but in all modern wars, where civilians are always the main victims, and the tools and methods of war are capable of such destruction that it boggles the mind.