Understanding Conflict Resolution : War, Peace and the Global System

Understanding Conflict Resolution draws on recent and classic research from around the world, linking the theory of conflict resolution to in-depth case studies throughout, and posing key questions regarding the future of conflict resolution.

The first part reviews the development of conflict resolution since the Cold War and demonstrates the various approaches to conflict analysis. The core of the book explores the settlement of three major types of international conflict: inter-state, internal and those arising from state formation. In the final part, regional and international approaches are examined, including developments in UN reform and the increasing importance of civil society organizations. New to this edition is the extensive consideration of peace-building, the relationship between peace and justice, disarmament, and gender-peace connections.

The Third Edition has been brought fully updated with coverage of the Obama administration, as well as events in Afghanistan following the 2009 presidential elections, and the ongoing situations in Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, and Pakistan. Attention is given to the comparison of negotiated and victory outcomes with particular reference to Sri Lanka, Gaza, and Liberia.

Understanding Conflict Resolution remains an essential text for all students, lecturers and researchers of peace and conflict resolution in international relations, global politics and political science.

Peter Wallensteen is Senior Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, since 2012. He held the Dag Hammarskjöld Chair of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (1985–2012). He is also the Richard G. Starmann, Senior Research Professor of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA (since 2006). He directs the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) and the Special Program on International Targeted Sanctions (SPITS). His Understanding Conflict Resolution: War, Peace and the Global System (Sage, earlier edition, available also in an Arabic translation) is used in teaching around the world. His book Peace Research: Theory and Practice (Routledge 2011) demonstrates his range of research interests and has recently been translated into Chinese. Recently he also edited together with Ambassador Anders Bjurner Regional Organizations and Peacemaking: Challengers to the UN? (Routledge 2015). In 2010, he and Isak Svensson published The Go-Between (United States Institute of Peace Press), a study of mediation efforts by the renowned Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson. Wallensteen has published widely on conflict trends, conflict resolution, mediation, prevention, sanctions and the United Nations.