Overview

This book serves primarily as a field guide and curriculum for organisations training personnel for conflict management missions abroad. Currently, a gap exists between practitioners and academia in the field of conflict management and peacebuilding. Few practitioners have studied conflict management, and few academics have experience as field workers. Conflict literature contains a range of important insights and analyses, but is useful only to a limited degree to practitioners. This book provides practitioners with a much needed guidebook which is easy to understand, academically solid and which identifies with their mission and helps them relate to real-time challenges in the field. The book focuses on a number of case studies, including peacebuilding efforts in East Timor, and offers a range of practical advice for persons about to embark on a mission, from the receipt of an appointment to establishment in the field and encountering the realities and practical challenges that handling conflicts may imply. This book will be of much interest to students of conflict management, peacebuilding and conflict resolution, as well as practitioners in the field.

Full Product Details

9781138048102

Table of Contents

Reviews

'This very useful book will appeal to the tens of thousands of people worldwide who are involved in the various peace missions in conflict-affected areas. It draws on a mixture of academic and policy wisdom, and personal experience. It provides a step by step guide for the many people involved, and especially newly entering, such missions and covers a comprehensive range of issues they may face.' -- Oliver Richmond, University of Manchester, UK 'Olav Ofstad's well-structured field guide covers various topics ranging from conflict theory and pre-deployment mission preparation to peacebuilding engagement. In doing so, Ofstad critically reflects the peacebuilder's involvement in conflict. Highly relevant for practice and theoretically solid, this book is a much-needed bridge between academia and conflict management on the ground. Olav Ofstad has written a comprehensive field guide for both newcomers and experienced peacebuilding staff alike. We highly recommend this book especially for consultants with monitoring and evaluation assignments: It can serve as a guide for conflict-sensitive project management.' -- Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR)'Olav Ofstad's practical field guide to conflict management and peacebuilding is a MUST READ for practitioners, planners and trainers involved in the complex business of international peace missions. The book distils civil-military lessons from specific missions and provides useful guidance for implementation. I would have been more effective had this field guide been in my kit bag during my time in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Libya.' -- Major General Michael G. Smith (Ret), Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University 'If you already are an experienced international missions operator, you want to become one or you just like to enhance your knowledge of how field missions operate, I highly recommend this book. Bring it with you in the field and use it.' -- Oyvind Dammen rt Colonel, Dammen Consultants Norway, www.humiliationstudies.org/news/ '...this is a relevant and engaging book for people starting out in the field of international development. Ofstad gives many suggestions for further reading, listing both psychological and NGO publications. It is a practical guide that gives a brief overview of relevant psychological principles without turning into a textbook filled with unnecessary descriptions of the related experiments.' -- Professor Rebekah Phillips DeZalia, American Psychological Association In combining theory and practice, Ofstad delivers an invaluable guide to anyone embarking on a task in the field of peace building. He also presents much needed insights and perspectives on field realities that are of critical importance to policy makers. Thereby, in combining theoretical insights with field perspectives, Ofstad provides an opportunity for all of us working in this field to better our mutual peace building efforts. - Carina Lamont, PhD Candidate, Kent University, Public International Law This very useful book will appeal to the tens of thousands of people worldwide who are involved in the various peace missions in conflict-affected areas. It draws on a mixture of academic and policy wisdom, and personal experience. It provides a step by step guide for the many people involved, and especially newly entering, such missions and covers a comprehensive range of issues they may face.' -- Oliver Richmond, University of Manchester, UK Olav Ofstad's well-structured field guide covers various topics ranging from conflict theory and pre-deployment mission preparation to peacebuilding engagement. In doing so, Ofstad critically reflects the peacebuilder's involvement in conflict. Highly relevant for practice and theoretically solid, this book is a much-needed bridge between academia and conflict management on the ground. Olav Ofstad has written a comprehensive field guide for both newcomers and experienced peacebuilding staff alike. We highly recommend this book especially for consultants with monitoring and evaluation assignments: It can serve as a guide for conflict-sensitive project management. -- Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) Olav Ofstad's practical field guide to conflict management and peacebuilding is a MUST READ for practitioners, planners and trainers involved in the complex business of international peace missions. The book distils civil-military lessons from specific missions and provides useful guidance for implementation. I would have been more effective had this field guide been in my kit bag during my time in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Libya. -- Major General Michael G. Smith (Ret), Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University If you already are an experienced international missions operator, you want to become one or you just like to enhance your knowledge of how field missions operate, I highly recommend this book. Bring it with you in the field and use it. -- Oyvind Dammen rt Colonel, Dammen Consultants Norway, www.humiliationstudies.org/news/ ...this is a relevant and engaging book for people starting out in the field of international development. Ofstad gives many suggestions for further reading, listing both psychological and NGO publications. It is a practical guide that gives a brief overview of relevant psychological principles without turning into a textbook filled with unnecessary descriptions of the related experiments. -- Professor Rebekah Phillips DeZalia, American Psychological Association Ofstad's essential insights into both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical realities of peace operations and peace building efforts make this a must read for practitioners, scholars and policy makers alike in the entire field of peace building. -- Carina Lamont, PhD Candidate, Kent University The author is also self-reflective and aware of the limitations of any single book as a comprehensive guide, and so throughout the reader is sign-posted to further reading at the end of each chapter. In doing so, the author provides a foundational overview while reflecting on important further reading for international personnel to explore. -- Susan Forde, Liverpool Hope University, Peacebuilding 'I found it to be a nuanced, detailed and practical guide to negotiating conflict that diplomats and peacekeeping professionals everywhere will find thoroughly instructive.' -- Sruthijith KK, Editor-in-chief, Huffington Post India

This very useful book will appeal to the tens of thousands of people worldwide who are involved in the various peace missions in conflict-affected areas. It draws on a mixture of academic and policy wisdom, and personal experience. It provides a step by step guide for the many people involved, and especially newly entering, such missions and covers a comprehensive range of issues they may face.' -- Oliver Richmond, University of Manchester, UK Olav Ofstad's well-structured field guide covers various topics ranging from conflict theory and pre-deployment mission preparation to peacebuilding engagement. In doing so, Ofstad critically reflects the peacebuilder's involvement in conflict. Highly relevant for practice and theoretically solid, this book is a much-needed bridge between academia and conflict management on the ground. Olav Ofstad has written a comprehensive field guide for both newcomers and experienced peacebuilding staff alike. We highly recommend this book especially for consultants with monitoring and evaluation assignments: It can serve as a guide for conflict-sensitive project management. -- Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR) Olav Ofstad's practical field guide to conflict management and peacebuilding is a MUST READ for practitioners, planners and trainers involved in the complex business of international peace missions. The book distils civil-military lessons from specific missions and provides useful guidance for implementation. I would have been more effective had this field guide been in my kit bag during my time in Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Libya. -- Major General Michael G. Smith (Ret), Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University If you already are an experienced international missions operator, you want to become one or you just like to enhance your knowledge of how field missions operate, I highly recommend this book. Bring it with you in the field and use it. -- Oyvind Dammen rt Colonel, Dammen Consultants Norway, www.humiliationstudies.org/news/ ...this is a relevant and engaging book for people starting out in the field of international development. Ofstad gives many suggestions for further reading, listing both psychological and NGO publications. It is a practical guide that gives a brief overview of relevant psychological principles without turning into a textbook filled with unnecessary descriptions of the related experiments. -- Professor Rebekah Phillips DeZalia, American Psychological Association Ofstad's essential insights into both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical realities of peace operations and peace building efforts make this a must read for practitioners, scholars and policy makers alike in the entire field of peace building. -- Carina Lamont, PhD Candidate, Kent University

Author Information

Olav Ofstad is an independent researcher and consultant in the field of conflict management, humanitarian assistance and development.

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