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Bernard Henri Levy
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Charlotte Mandell
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War, Evil, and the End of History Paperback – April 1, 2004

by Bernard Henri Levy (Author), Charlotte Mandell (Author)
3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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From the maverick author of the international bestseller Who Killed Daniel Pearl? — "a gripping blend of reportage and philosophy," according to The New York Times — comes another startlingly original work of literature.

In WAR, EVIL AND THE END OF HISTORY, Bernard-Henri Lévy continues his daring investigation into the breeding grounds of terrorism with a series of riveting first-person reports from five of the world's most horrific "forgotten" war zones. In Sri Lanka, he conducts a clandestine interview with a terrified young woman escaped from a suicide-bomber training camp . . . he journeys, blindfolded, into the Colombian jungle to interview a psychotic drug lord who considers himself the successor to Che Guevara and fronts a bloodthirsty "guerilla" army . . . Lévy surreptitiously observes the nameless slaves working the diamond mines that fund an endless war in Angola . . . airdrops into a rebel stronghold in the blockaded Nuba mountains of the Sudan . . . and reports on the ongoing carnage in Burundi between Hutus and Tutsis. But Lévy is more than just a journalist: as France's leading philosopher, he follows the reports with a series of intensely personal and probing "reflections" considering how, in an enlightened, cultured, and well-informed society, these wars have acquired such a perverse "non-meaning." He considers war literature from Stendhal, Hemingway, Proust and others, and issues an excoriating response to those who have glorified it. He reconsiders his own background as a student revolutionary in Paris in May 1968, and as a 22-year-old war reporter in Bangladesh. And, in one of the book's most moving passages, he recounts his travels with Ahmad Massoud, the anti-Taliban Afghan leader assassinated hours before the September 11 attacks. Already a huge bestseller in Europe, WAR, EVIL, AND THE END OF HISTORY is the work of a scintillating intellect at the height of its powers. Bernard-Henri Lévy's previous book foresaw today's headlines about Pakistan's secret trading of nuclear technology and the nexus of terrorist groups behind the murder of Daniel Pearl. WAR, EVIL, AND THE END OF HISTORY is his brilliant foray into the next danger zones.
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  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Melville House
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0971865957
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0971865952
  8. See all details
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3.4 out of 5 stars
9 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Art Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015
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    Brilliant.
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  • Ravi C.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Intellectual romp vs. intellectual pomp
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2010
    Some will regard this as a poignant and intellectual romp, others a waste of words and time. BHL's writing is loopy and tangential; the war reportage is fine and very eye-opening, but I often found myself wanting more details about the conflicts he covers in bare detail (Burundi, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Angola), seemingly interested primarily in personalities and evils committed. His primary journalistic text is linked to extensive notes which are a philosopher's dream, perhaps, and often quite touching, but mostly ramblings and musings, however readable at times with several nicely worded sections and turns of phrases. He glosses one critical thesis: that violence is an inevitable part of man's nature. He seesaws with this idea a bit, but doesn't really explore it much as a concept. He comes across as very likeable, and overall committed to remembering, witnessing and raising a light on evils and atrocities; but on the other hand, there were times I felt he was primarily committed to intellectual, romantic and even vain exercise in words, that the dead and their killers were in a sense objects of his curiosity. Anyway, it doesn't take too long to read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Urobolos
    2.0 out of 5 stars mediocre journalism + existentialist babble
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2004
    This book consists of two parts: "The Damned", a collection of BHL's adventures in war torn countries, and "Reflections", philosophical ramblings intended as "extended footnotes" to "The Damned". ("The Damned" is 1/3 of the book, "Reflections" 2/3.)

    "The Damned" is not bad. BHL wanders through Angola, Sri Lanka, Burundi, Columbia, and Sudan and witnesses much devastation. (Note: Wandering seems to be BHL's MO -- it is never clear what he is doing in any of these places.) The combination of BHL's aimlessness and the observed devastation, plus the absence of any historical background, give these pieces a wistful, dreamlike quality. Despite all of his traveling, BHL seems to hardly interact with anyone, and provides little insight into what's going on.

    "Reflections" is awful. It reads like a pastiche of college student stream-of-consciousness writing exercises. With absurd amounts of (philosopher name)-dropping. I suppose this might be acceptable if BHL's points made sense, unfortunately... His suggestions that these wars are different from previous wars and that they are especially meaningless, endless, or nihilist sound very philosopher-ish but gloss over reality. These wars are clearly fought over land, resources (e.g., diamonds and cocaine), religion, and power by men with tastes for such things. This is not new and neither is anything BHL writes here.

    BHL clearly wants the world to be a better place; it's too bad he's a philosopher. Despite my opinion, I hope that this book will raise awareness about the wars we've ignored.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Laurence Jarvik
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Reflections on World Events
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2004
    War, Evil, and the End of History
    Recently finished Bernard-Henri Levy's latest book, War, Evil, and the End of History. There's so much in it, on a variety of different levels, it is difficult to capture in a paragraph. Bottom line: The book is a response to a number of philosophical arguments, ranging from Foucault to Fukuyama. Levy takes his personal transformation, comparing himself to, and distinguishing himsef from, Benny Levy in the Bangladesh civil war and May 68 events in Paris, as well as personal confessions from BHL travelling to hot spots today, such as Sri Lanka, to make a number of points:
    *No single philosophical or political system can cope with the problems of war and evil, they are permanent features of human existence which must be confronted constantly.
    *History does not "end." And the smaller and more remote regions are even more affected by it than the central powers.
    *Islam is not the only movement that spawns terrorists and suicide bombers. There are fanatics and mass murderers wherever one looks for them, from Burundi, to Sri Lanka, to Rwanda, to Sudan--and his chapter on Sudan, written years ago, is particularly relevant today.
    The style is intensely personal and stream of consciousness. But combining journalism with philosophy is pretty interesting reading--BHL's references to Malraux seem appropriate.
    War, Evil, and the End of History combines theoretical reflection with striking descriptions of some forgotten messy realities. It is a good reminder that there are lots of loose ends out there, that politics is not the answer to everything, that academic writing removed from the facts of life has some shortcomings. It is also an antidote to the triumphalism of the "End of History" school, that briefly mutated into "Unipolar world" advocacy. This book shows us that facts and actual lived human experience are every bit as important as theoretical paradigms.
    Fascinating, and challenging. Put War, Evil, and the End of History on your summer reading list.
    20 people found this helpful
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  • Julian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2006
    After seeing the author on TV I was intrigued enough to buy all three of his books -- sadly, his newest, American Vertigo, was terrible. It seemed all the more so, however, in comparison with his other two books, which were both wonderful. Who Killed Daniel Pearl was a real thriller and very smart, but this book, War, Evil, and the End of History, was absolutely brilliant. It seems to be almost a model for American vertigo - reporting, followed by philosophical consideration of the reporting. But this book is about people and places that really matter -- Darfur, Sri Lanka, etc., not Sharon Stone and Warren Beatty. It is brave work -- Levy went to some very dangerous places -- and his writing about those places is stirring and beautiful. Thought provoking and like a trip to a totally different world and way of thinking; it made me see the world differently. Skip the new ones, read the old ones, especially this one.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • fawzigermanus
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2014
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