"Using Churchill's phrase to express the replacement of the balance of power by a new balance principle, Lerner points out that the world does not thereby achieve any real safety. The simple, horrifying fact that nuclear war has become intolerable does not mean that it has been ruled out. The intolerable is not necessarily impossible, he maintains, and then he describes three situations that might force war upon us." In The Age of Overkill, Mr. Lerner concerns himself with five major forces in our contemporary world: nuclear weapons with overkill potentials; the nation-state explosion from which dozens of new nations are emerging; the passing of the old imperialism and its replacement by the two great power masses, the democratic and the communist world blocs; the increasing prevalence of "political warfare" - assault by means of ideas, economic aid, culture and the enticement of new nations; and the UN and its growth as a transitional force. From his consideration of these forces emerges the central theme: the classical system of world politics is being undercut; war as part of the power struggle is suicidal and therefore, no longer possible; the world is moving - and must move faster - beyond the power principle. The Age of Overkill is hardly light viewing and Mr. Lerner does not attempt to make it so. He is deeply aware of the seriousness of the subject and deeply concerned over its implications. But he is neither a pedant nor an alarmist. His own stimulating delivery is augmented by the judicious use of excellent film clips and slides. The Age of Overkill was produced for NET by WGBH-TV in Boston. This series consists of 13 half-hour episodes that were originally recorded on videotape.
