Finalist for the 2004 Lionel Gelber Award

In the age of terrorism, the temptations of ruthlessness can be overwhelming. But there is also the anxiety that a violent response to violence makes us morally indistinguishable from our enemies.

There is perhaps no greater political challenge today than trying to win the war against terrorism without losing our democratic souls. Michael Ignatieff confronts this challenge head-on with a combination of pragmatic idealism, historical sensitivity, and astute political judgment.

Ignatieff traces the modern history of terrorism and counter-terrorism from the nihilists of Czarist Russia and the militias of Weimar Germany to the IRA and Al Qaeda. He shows how the most potent response to terror has been force, decisive and direct, but—just as important—restrained. Restraint also gives democracy its strongest weapon: the moral power to endure when the furies of vengeance and hatred are spent.

"An impeccably argued case for how to balance security and liberty in the face of the new kind of threat posed by today's terrorists…" —Publishers Weekly

Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian writer and historian. His books include Scar Tissue (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize), The Russian Album, Blood And Belonging, The Warrior's Honour, The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, and The Rights Revolution. His work has been translated into many languages and awarded numerous prizes and awards. Before being elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament in 2006, he was Professor of Human Rights and Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. Until May 2011 Ignatieff was leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He lives in Toronto, where he teaches at the University of Toronto.

Michael Ignatieff's profile page

"Compelling reading." —Edmonton Journal

"It is not a criticism, but the highest praise to say that The Lesser Evil … takes the difficult middle ground…. This is a timely book as we all grapple with the implications of global terrorism." —The Globe & Mail

"Ignatieff's central argument is both timely and generally compelling. This book is thoughtful, engaging and concise, and filled with illustrative examples." —Ottawa Citizen

"The book succeeds sublimely and any reasonably literate reader would be a better citizen after reading it…. An exceptional book indeed." —Winnipeg Free Press