Disarming Conflict: Why Peace Cannot Be Won on the Battlefield

Description

Wars fought over the past quarter century have been a spectacular failure. The overwhelming majority end in military stalemate and are settled at the negotiating table, with the grievances that led to the war still unresolved. In Disarming Conflict famed peace activist Ernie Regehr shows that force cannot simply override or transcend the social, political, and economic realities of conflict. War prevention, Regehr argues, is more successful when security policies address the conditions that most directly affect people’s lives and that are most instrumental in generating deep grievances and the despairing conclusion that there are no alternatives to the violence. Disarming Conflict sets out approaches, initiatives, and policies that steer away from the futility of fighting and promote non-military efforts towards “winning the peace.” Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Fighting to Lose Chapter 1 A Quarter Century of Failed War Chapter 2 Wars and Rumours of Wars: How Wars Start Chapter 3 How Civil Wars End Chapter 4 How International Wars End Chapter 5 The Limits of Force Chapter 6 Disarming Security: Preventing War Chapter 7 Disarming Conflict: A Treaty to Control the Arms Trade Chapter 8 Disarming the Bomb: Nuclear Disarmament Chapter 9 When Prevention Fails: Protecting the Vulnerable Chapter 10 Peace After the Sun Goes Down Notes