Civil Wars, Civil Peace

In recent years the terms "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing" have not only re-entered the common vocabulary, but seem now to be tolerated and accepted as the "inevitable" consequences of the wars and conflicts that, as much as ever before, plague the world's landscape. But as yet there is no globally accepted structure through which conflict can be tackled. How should we as individuals, as nations and as an international community respond to conflict? This introductory guide to the topic sets out a radical approach to conflict prevention, resolution and diplomacy. Designed for undergraduate students as well as practitioners and peace negotiators, it provides an overview of conflict in the post-Cold War world. It covers such topics as: identifying and assessing early warnings of conflict, and the need to take early action; information gathering and analysis; and the need for preventive diplomacy. In particular, the role of non-governmental organizations and other third-party mediators in conflict resolution is considered.