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This book explores theories of conflict and peacebuilding and applies them to case studies from the Asia Pacific region, seeking to shift attention to the inherency of conflict, the constant danger of re-emergence, and the need to establish mechanisms to resolve it. The authors argue that the central focus of peacebuilding should not be state-building per se, but rather the creation of effective mechanisms for peaceful resolution of both past and newly emerging conflicts. To do so, it is important to consider the entire process of creating peace, to contemplate the linkages between conflict, resolution, and post-conflict peacebuilding, rather than focus only on the period of institution-building.
List of contents
1. Introduction: From Conflict to Enduring Peace.- 2. The Tripartite Formula and Peacebuilding in the Pacific.- 3. The Missing Link: Patterns in Leadership Changes and Mediation in Civil Wars.- 4. Making Peace in the Southern Philippines: Negotiated Settlements and the Search for a Durable Peace.- 5. Power Sharing and Power Dividing in the Asia-Pacific.- 6. Buying Peace in Timor-Leste: Crisis, Side-payments, and Regime-Building.- 7. Conflict Resolution and Political Change in Tonga.- 8. Peace and Conflict in Samoa: The Role of Tradition and Traditional Institutions.- 9. From Conflict to Peaceful Participation: a Case Study of the Ongoing Conflict in Southern Thailand.- 10. Resident Evil at the Gate of the Holy Land: Brewing socio-politico tensions in post-conflict Aceh.- 11. Conclusions.
About the author
Carmela Lutmar is Visiting Lecturer at New York University, USA, and Lecturer in the Division of International Relations in the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa, Israel.
James Ockey is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Summary
This book explores theories of conflict and peacebuilding and applies them to case studies from the Asia Pacific region, seeking to shift attention to the inherency of conflict, the constant danger of re-emergence, and the need to establish mechanisms to resolve it. The authors argue that the central focus of peacebuilding should not be state-building per se, but rather the creation of effective mechanisms for peaceful resolution of both past and newly emerging conflicts. To do so, it is important to consider the entire process of creating peace, to contemplate the linkages between conflict, resolution, and post-conflict peacebuilding, rather than focus only on the period of institution-building.
Additional text
“While I thought the volume could have done more to tease out the implications for peacebuilding, I found its understanding of conflict a useful tool to think with, and the data certainly supported the authors’ advocacy for it.” (David Oakeshott, Small States & Territories, Vol. 4 (1), 2021)
“Lutmar and Ockey assess western countries’ conflict resolution practices to identify strategies and mechanisms for better peacebuilding practice in the Asia–Pacific region. They offer insights into how security and political dynamics in post-conflict countries influence conflict resolution and under what condition peacebuilding is more likely to succeed. … Finally, they offer different avenues for future research that are not only theoretically important, but also contribute to violence reduction worldwide.” (Xuwan Ouyang, International Affairs, Vol. 97 (2), 2021)
Report
"While I thought the volume could have done more to tease out the implications for peacebuilding, I found its understanding of conflict a useful tool to think with, and the data certainly supported the authors' advocacy for it." (David Oakeshott, Small States & Territories, Vol. 4 (1), 2021)
"Lutmar and Ockey assess western countries' conflict resolution practices to identify strategies and mechanisms for better peacebuilding practice in the Asia-Pacific region. They offer insights into how security and political dynamics in post-conflict countries influence conflict resolution and under what condition peacebuilding is more likely to succeed. ... Finally, they offer different avenues for future research that are not only theoretically important, but also contribute to violence reduction worldwide." (Xuwan Ouyang, International Affairs, Vol. 97 (2), 2021)
