Encyclopedia of International Peacekeeping Operations - Hardcover

Ramsbotham, Oliver; Woodhouse, Tom

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874368928 ISBN 13: 9780874368925

Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 1999

Synopsis

Encyclopedia of International Peacekeeping Operations analyzes the broad national, regional, cultural, and international contexts of peacekeeping. Special focus is placed on such contemporary issues as human rights, peacebuilding from below, conflict resolution theory, civilian peacekeeping, gender considerations, and women in peacekeeping. The coverage is enhanced by a chronology, charts, maps, a list of acronyms, an annotated bibliography, and references to key websites.

About this title

About the Author

Oliver Ramsbotham and Tom Woodhouse are senior lecturers in peace studies and co-directors of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford, Bradford, England. They are editors of International Peacekeeping News and digest editors for International Peacekeeping.

Reviews

Peacekeeping operations is a term synonymous with the United Nations and its reason for being, although the words do not appear in its charter. Peacekeeping as a verb (instead of peacekeeper or peacemaker as nouns) came into news and journal articles in the 1960s and has slowly increased in usage. The first UN so-named peacekeeping mission was established in 1956 during the Suez crisis. This volume is an effort to provide an overview of terms, persons, organizations, countries, conflicts, agreements, etc., representative of peacekeeping efforts since that time. It is international in scope, with the emphasis on the places where such operations have occurred or are occurring. Although most are UN missions, some others, such as NATO-led operations in the former Yugoslavia, are covered as well.

The body of the volume, beginning with the Acheson Plan and ending with Zimbabwe, is a collection of descriptions and definitions, objectively presented. Entry length ranges from around one quarter of a page to more than seven pages, with longer entries covering such trouble spots as Cambodia, Lebanon, and Somalia. Headnotes listing major missions appear at the beginning of entries on countries where peacekeeping missions have occurred. Most entries include see also references and a short bibliography. Supporting material includes an introduction that defines peacekeeping, a list of acronyms and abbreviations used in peacekeeping, a 22-page index, a 12-page bibliography, and three appendixes. One is a list of the UN Peace Mission Commanders from 1948^-1998; the second, a list of special representatives of the secretary-general for the same time span; and the third, six and one-half pages of international peacekeeping acronyms. There are approximately 10 maps; more maps would be a useful addition. It pays to use the detailed index because one may be disappointed when just looking at the encyclopedia entries. For example, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter does not have his own entry but has five mentions in the index.

The authors apologize for any omissions, which are inevitable in this type of work. They ask to be contacted via their homepage at the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the University of Bradford [http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/confres/crchome.html], where they have an excellent set of annotated links to information on UN peacekeeping and conflict resolution.

There do not appear to be any similar publications with which to compare this one. The World Encyclopedia of Peace (Pergamon Press, 1986) is a broader collection of articles and documents. The Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Relations (2d ed., Taylor & Francis, 1990) treats peacekeeping only incidentally. Encyclopedia of International Peacekeeping Operations serves as a good introduction to many of the places and issues related to this important topic. It merits consideration by high-school, public, and academic libraries. The book will be more useful if extensive contents notes are entered in library catalogs, especially in the small library that wants to provide pointers to biographical information and overviews of conflicts around the world.

Grade 10 Up-A comprehensive, accessible resource that provides information on the theory and practice of peacekeeping as a method of international conflict management and resolution in the contemporary world. A fairly lengthy introduction includes definitions, a history of peacekeeping from 1945 to 1998, and a discussion about its future. The body of the book consists of alphabetical entries ranging from several paragraphs to several pages that offer both background and analysis on individuals, events, and missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Haiti, Rwanda, and elsewhere. Readers can access information by a person's last name, a country name, or by the name of a U.N. designated mission. Articles conclude with see-also references, bibliographic sources, and occasional Web sites. Black-and-white charts and maps accompany the text. A thorough index and extensive bibliography conclude this useful title.
Dana McDougald, Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: ABC-CLIO
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874368928
• ISBN 13: 9780874368925
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384