This book is truly unique in that it presents a series of cases in which conflict prevention efforts have been successful at the United Nations and in other international organizations. It presents detailed case studies of the methods used and the diplomacy applied to head off conflicts or to contain them swiftly. Some of the chapters are riveting in their details. The book is the first on conflict prevention as actually applied in practice. It gives a convincingly positive answer to the question: 'Does conflict prevention work in practice?'.It does! The book also contains up-to-date accounts of the policies and practices of early warning and preventive action in a series of international and regional organizations, including ASEAN, the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations. Practice is thus presented alongside evolving policies and programmes. The book deals not only with efforts to prevent conflicts but also to head off gross violations of human rights - an urgent challenge of our times. As Professor Paul Kennedy of Yale University writes in his Foreword, the excellent essays in this volume make it a truly valuable book. At a time when the United Nations is searching for the way forward, this book provides valuable leads for the practice of conflict prevention. It is essential reading for peace-builders, peacemakers and human rights practitioners.

′The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution demonstrates the range of themes that constitute modern conflict resolution. It brings out its key issues, methods and dilemmas through original contributions by leading scholars in a dynamic and expanding field of inquiry. This handbook is exactly what it sets out to be: an indispensable tool for teaching, research and practice in conflict resolution′ - Peter Wallensteen, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University and University of Notre Dame ′Bercovitch, Kremenyuk and Zartman are among the most important figures in the conflict resolution field. They have pieced together, with the help of more than 35 colleagues from numerous countries, a state-of-the-art review of the sources of international conflict, available methods of conflict management, and the most difficult challenges facing the individuals and organizations trying to guide us through these conflict-ridden times. The collection is brimming with penetrating insights, trenchant analyses, compelling cases, and disciplined speculation. They help us understand both the promise of as well as the obstacles to theory-building in the new field of conflict resolution′ - Lawrence Susskind, Professor and Director of the MIT - Harvard Public Disputes Program ′The last three sentences of this persuasive book: "We conclude this volume more than ever convinced that conflict resolution is not just possible or desirable in the current international environment. It is absolutely necessary. Resolving conflicts and making peace is no longer an option; it is an intellectual and practical skill that we must all posses." If you are part of that "we," intellectually or professionally, you will find this book a superb companion′ - Thomas C Schelling, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University and University of Maryland Conflict resolution is one of the fastest-growing academic fields in the world today. Although it is a relatively young discipline, having emerged as a specialized field in the 1950′s, it has rapidly grown into a self-contained, vibrant, interdisciplinary field. The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Resolution brings together all the conceptual, methodological and substantive elements of conflict resolution into one volume of over 35 specially commissioned chapters. The Handbook is designed to reflect where the field is today by drawing on the contributions of experts from different fields presenting, in a systematic way, the most recent research and practice. Jacob Bercovitch is Professor of International Relations, and Fellow of the Royal Society, at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Victor Kremenyuk is deputy director of the Institute for USA and Canada Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. He is also a research associate at IIASA. I. William Zartman is Jacob Blaustein Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Organization at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University

The field of conflict resolution centers on relationships and ways of approaching methods for problem solving. These relationships and approaches vary deeply depending on the individual, society, and background, proving that cultural perspective is fundamental to any dispute intervention. Re-Centering Culture and Knowledge in Conflict Resolution Practice is a collection of original essays by scholars and practitioners of conflict resolution and others working in marginalized communities. The volume offers a sampling of the cultural voices essential to effective practice yet not commonly heard in the discourse of conflict resolution. The authors explore the role of culture, race, and oppression in resolving disputes. Drawing on firsthand experience and sound research, the authors address such issues as culturally sensitive mediation practices, the diversity of perspectives in conflict resolution literature, and power dynamics. The first anthology of its kind, this book combines personal narratives with formal scholarship. By melding these varied approaches, the authors seek to inspire activism for social justice in today’s multicultural society.

Examining the shortcomings of eliciting sustainable intra-state peace through the UN system and the underlying positive peace paradigm of the liberal traditions, the book maintains that a novel positive peace vision and framework under the auspices of the UN is warranted. Building upon grievance-based explanations of violent conflicts and conflict transformation research, this book develops a comprehensive positive peace framework that involves the early tackling of identity divisions (i.e. Fundamental Conflicts) through UN facilitated deliberative and dialogical processes at the 1.5 track diplomacy level. This framework is designed to complement current UN post-conflict peacebuilding and structural prevention practice. By dealing both with how to operationalise early conflict prevention in a workable manner and developing a comprehensive yet viable positive peace approach, this book entails an extensive interdisciplinary approach and new in-depth analyses of the wide-ranging normative and policy aspects of the quest of elevating positive peace to a core objective of UN practice.

The Handbook of Conflict Resolution, Second Edition is written for both the seasoned professional and the student who wants to deepen their understanding of the processes involved in conflicts and their knowledge of how to manage them constructively. It provides the theoretical underpinnings that throw light on the fundamental social psychological processes involved in understanding and managing conflicts at all levels—interpersonal, intergroup, organizational, and international. The Handbook covers a broad range of topics including information on cooperation and competition, justice, trust development and repair, resolving intractable conflict, and working with culture and conflict. Comprehensive in scope, this new edition includes chapters that deal with language, emotion, gender, and personal implicit theories as they relate to conflict.

How can the United Nations, regional and subregional organizations, government donors, and other policymakers best apply the tools of conflict prevention to the wide range of intrastate conflict situations actually found in the field? The detailed case studies and analytical chapters in From Promise to Practice offer operational lessons for fashioning strategy and tactics to meet the challenges of specific conflicts, both potential and actual.