Overview

The secret world of international peace deals is exposed in Kings of Peace; Pawns of War, a ground-breaking new book that goes behind the scenes of televised handshakes to reveal what it really takes to broker peace in today's conflicts. Drawing on unparalleled access to some of the world's leading conflict mediators, Kings of Peace provides fascinating insights into the lengthy, fragile and often stormy process of transforming war into peace. Lakhdar Brahimi, former Algerian Foreign Minister, brokered a deal in Afghanistan, before going on to help - albeit reluctantly - the Americans appoint a government in Iraq; Kenyan General Lazaro Sumbeiywo successfully talked the two sides in South Sudan - Africa's longest running war - into making peace; Peruvian diplomat, Alvaro de Soto, spent five years trying to resolve the Cyprus conflict, only to see his efforts fail at the final hurdle; Briton Martin Griffiths secured the first peace deal in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh; and the Norwegians Erik Solheim and Vidar Helgesen managed to midwife the ongoing peace process in Sri Lanka. These are extraordinary individuals whose tireless efforts and personal conviction have succeeded in persuading hostile groups to stop fighting often after many others have abandoned peace efforts as a lost cause. A powerful and important new book, Kings of Peace; Pawns of War shines an intriguing light on a profoundly secretive profession, in which a mediator will meet the American President one day and the world's most wanted terrorist the next, all in the name of brokering a peace deal. Above all, it explores the ethical tightrope that the mediators themselves inevitably walk, between being kings of peace and pawns of war. ""Few professions are more needed today -- and less understood -- than the job of an international conflict mediator. Harriet Martin's vivid story-telling helps us get inside the minds and hearts of six master mediators so we can learn what they do, why they do it, how they fail, and how they succeed. A wonderful read - I recommend it highly!"" -William Ury, co-author of Getting to Yes and author of Third Side. ""A fascinating read...the inside story of some of the world's most intractable conflicts, Harriet Martin has secured access to some of the world's most impressive diplomats and she tells their stories with flair."" -Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC Newshour presenter and author of Pakistan: Eye of the Storm ""In this highly readable book, Harriet Martin has shed a bright light on the personalities and tactics of modern conflict mediators -- individuals who are rarely heralded, and almost never studied, and yet whose decisions affect the lives of millions. Martin's tales from the front will change the way we see the role of foreigners in conflict. The lessons she draws - if heeded - could dramatically improve the peace-makers' odds."" -Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.

Full Product Details

Author:   Harriet Martin
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.370kg
ISBN:  

9780826490575

ISBN 10:   0826490573
Pages:   184
Publication Date:   18 June 2006
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

Introduction by Kofi Annan Conflict:Iraq;Lebanon, Afghanistan Conflict:Israel Palestine Conflict:Southern Sudan Conflict:Aceh, Indonesia Conflict :Sri Lanka Conflict:Cyprus

Reviews

Few professions are more needed today -- and less understood -- than the job of an international conflict mediator. Harriet Martin's vivid story-telling helps us get inside the minds and hearts of six master mediators so we can learn what they do, why they do it, how they fail, and how they succeed. A wonderful read - I recommend it highly! William Ury, co-author Getting to Yes and author, The Third Side A fascinating read... the inside story of some of the world's most intractable conflicts, Harriet Martin has secured access to some of the world's most impressive diplomats and she tells their stories with flair. Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC Newshour presenter and author of Pakistan: Eye of the Storm In this highly readable book, Harriet Martin has shed a bright light on the personalities and tactics of modern conflict mediators -- individuals who are rarely heralded, and almost never studied, and yet whose decisions affect the lives of millions. Martin's tales from the front will change the way we see the role of foreigners in conflict. The lessons she draws - if heeded - could dramatically improve the peace-makers' odds. Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Problem from Hell : America and the Age of Genocide

"""Few professions are more needed today -- and less understood -- than the job of an international conflict mediator. Harriet Martin's vivid story-telling helps us get inside the minds and hearts of six master mediators so we can learn what they do, why they do it, how they fail, and how they succeed. A wonderful read - I recommend it highly!"" William Ury, co-author ""Getting to Yes"" and author, The ""Third Side"". -- William Ury ""A fascinating read...the inside story of some of the world's most intractable conflicts, Harriet Martin has secured access to some of the world's most impressive diplomats and she tells their stories with flair."" Owen Bennett-Jones, BBC Newshour presenter and author of Pakistan: Eye of the Storm -- Owen Bennett-Jones In this highly readable book, Harriet Martin has shed a bright light on the personalities and tactics of modern conflict mediators -- individuals who are rarely heralded, and almost never studied, and yet whose decisions affect the lives of millions. Martin's tales from the front will change the way we see the role of foreigners in conflict. The lessons she draws - if heeded - could dramatically improve the peace-makers' odds."" Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ""A Problem from Hell"": America and the Age of Genocide"" -- Samantha Power ""Kings of Peace is a straightforward account of the experiences of those engaged in conflict resolution"" South China Morning Post, 3/9/06 -- Tim Cribb ""As an academic who is interested in the field of conflict resolution, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to review this book. The book is well written and interesting and contains fine analytical thinking about her interviews and other material she selected concerning the mediations she discusses in her book. Her narratives are excellent, thoughtful narratives by a knowledgeable journalist with access to the mediators whose mediations she discusses."" -- PsycCRITIQUES  'Kings of Peace, Pawns of War is well written and interesting and contains fine analytical thinking.'   'Her narratives... are excellent, thoughtful narratives by a knowledgeable journalist with access to the mediators whose mediations she discusses.'   - Morton Deutsch, PsycCRITIQUES -- Morton Deutsch ""Building on the author's conversations with six mediators, members of their teams and representatives of the parties they have worked with in Iraq, Cyprus, Aceh, Sri Lanka and Sudan, this book offers a unique glimpse into the secluded world of international peacemaking.... While contributing to an understanding of the everyday trials and tribulations of mediation in track-one peacemaking, a world where glamour appears conspicuously absent, Martin's book also invites reflections on the nature of peace processes.... Unwittingly or not, Martin's fascinating book lends support to the contention that mediation is as much an art as a science...""- Ann-Sofi Jakobsson Hatay, Journal of Peace and Research, Vol. 44 No. 1 January 2007 -- Journal of Peace and Research ""Regardless of their relatively obscure public personae, the book's subjects are captivating. Here are men who have forged careers in civil service and who, together with ""a phenomenal ability to listen,"" bring to the negotiating table their diplomatic savoir faire...Antonia Potter's analytical and well-informed epilogue does much to put the subjects in a more academic context and to encourage further reading and research. It is perhaps the greatest asset of this balanced book that, while not being an exhaustive study of any one of the cases it deals with, it employs wit and the seemingly effortless writing of a journalist to bridge the gap and engross us all in these fascinating and current stories. Furthermore, at a time when foreign intervention is more topical than ever, it makes a convincing case for mediation and the power of diplomacy as a way of embracing our collective responsibility to protect nations emerging from conflict."" -Katya Leney-Hall, Ph.D., International Journal on World Peace, December 2008"

Author Information

Harriet Martin covered the war in Bosnia for the Financial Times and the Economist in the mid-1990s, and subsequently worked at the BBC in London. She was a correspondent for the Independent in Geneva before joining the United Nations as a speech writer and political analyst.

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