Product Description

Since the end of the Cold War, conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding have risen to the top of the international agenda. The second edition of this hugely popular text charts the development of the field from its pioneers to its contemporary exponents and offers an assessment of its achievements and the challenges it faces in today′s changed security environment. Existing material has been thoroughly updated and new chapters added on peacebuilding from below, reconciliation, responses to terror, gender issues, the ethics of intervention, dialogue, discourse and disagreement, culture and conflict resolution, and future directions for the field. the authors argue that a new form of cosmopolitan conflict resolution is emerging, which offers a hopeful means for human societies to transcend and celebrate their differences.


Part I offers a comprehensive survey of the theory and practice of conflict resolution. Part II enters into the controversies that have surrounded conflict resolution as it has become part of the mainstream. Contemporary Conflict Resolution is essential reading for students of peace and security studies, conflict management and international politics, as well as those working in non–government organizations or think–tanks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179181 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Review
“Truly an indispensable guidebook for conflicts occurring in the first years of the twenty–first century.”

Christopher Mitchell, George Mason University

“If there is one obligatory book to have upon your shelf about issues of conflict – this is it. It is both useful and inspiring, and should be read by all who are interested in addressing the conflicts, the wars and the violence that are plaguing our world to–day.”

Marie Fitzduff, Brandeis University

“This is by far one of the best textbooks in the field of peace and conflict studies. Not only does it provide a comprehensive theoretical review and a broad range of empirical examples, it also charts new directions. These qualities will without doubt make it one of the main texts in use in the field at universities around the world.”

Oliver Richmond, University of St Andrews

“Since it was first published, Contemporary Conflict Resolution has become the definitive guide to the emergence of conflict resolution as a field of academic and practical enquiry. In this new edition, the authors have substantially updated and extended their analysis, both to reflect the many developments in the field but, more importantly, to embrace the radical new trends in international conflict since the 9/11 attacks. Contemporary Conflict Resolution is an essential text for students of conflict at any level, from the individual to the international, whether in universities, non–government organizations or think tanks. It should have as prominent a place in defence colleges and foreign ministries, as much as in peace research institutes.”

Paul Rogers, University of Bradford

“This is an outstanding book, building upon an excellent and very well–received first edition. It is a comprehensive textbook, but it also has a coherent and compelling overarching intellectual agenda.”

Edward Newman, United Nations University

“The second edition of the Contemporary Conflict Resolution is certainly much needed and timely considering the rapid growth in research, practice and number of academic institutions that have been created since the publication of the widely used first edition. Utilizing their rich experience of working in conflict zone areas (especially Africa and South East Asia), the authors have managed to update this edition with comprehensive and refreshing practical case studies and examples from the Middle East, South Africa and Sri Lanka, as well as post–September 11 events. The wide theoretical frameworks and models presented in this edition are essential for any student, instructor and practitioner of conflict resolution. With this revised edition, the book will continue to occupy a leading spot among the few comprehensive and classic texts in the field.”

Mohammed Abunimer, American University

From the Back Cover
Since the end of the Cold War, conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peacebuilding have risen to the top of the international agenda. The second edition of this hugely popular text charts the development of the field from its pioneers to its contemporary exponents and offers an assessment of its achievements and the challenges it faces in today′s changed security environment. Existing material has been thoroughly updated and new chapters added on peacebuilding from below, reconciliation, responses to terror, gender issues, the ethics of intervention, dialogue, discourse and disagreement, culture and conflict resolution, and future directions for the field. the authors argue that a new form of cosmopolitan conflict resolution is emerging, which offers a hopeful means for human societies to transcend and celebrate their differences.

Part I offers a comprehensive survey of the theory and practice of conflict resolution. Part II enters into the controversies that have surrounded conflict resolution as it has become part of the mainstream. Contemporary Conflict Resolution is essential reading for students of peace and security studies, conflict management and international politics, as well as those working in non–government organizations or think–tanks.

About the Author
Oliver Ramsbotham is Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Centre for Conflict Resolution, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford.

Tom Woodhouse is Professor of Conflict Resolution (Adam Curle Chair), Centre for Conflict Resolution, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford.

Hugh Miall is Professor of International Relations at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Customer Reviews

Truly a milestone - and useful too
This has got to be THE conflict resolution textbook of today: a complete reworking and major expansion of what already was one of the field's key textbooks, this version is not only empirically and theoretically up-to-date, it also covers methodically and lucidly (1) the development of the field of study; (2) a wide range of cases and issues; and (3) a thoughtful treatment of current and future theoretical-practical issues that must be addressed if the discipline is to have the impact one would hope for. In doing so, it not only sums up the state of knowledge and debate, it also pushed the boundaries and lays the ground for future intellectual and practical exploration. That this is done by three of the field's top scholars makes this, in some ways, much more than a mere 'textbook'.

It does not claim to cover all the world's conflicts, of course, but in its thematic exploration the range of case studies used is ample. This is a classic, and is useful well beyond the 'conflict resolution community'. I have already recommended it to a wide range of people, and placed it on the postgraduate programme 'key reading' list for a diplomatic institute in the Middle East.

Hardly scratches the surface
Not a comprehensive view. Although strong on social problems in Central and Southern Africa, particularly the CRS, it falls down in its interpretation of domestic spheres. The work of Fay Ballard is particularly useful here. I would have liked to have seen more analysis and less boring historiography. However, I would still reccommend it to anyone interested in African conflicts.