Kriesberg
publishes new book: Realizing Peace
Louis Kriesberg, professor emeritus of sociology and founding director
of the Program on the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts (now the Program for
the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration) at the Maxwell
School, has published his newest book, Realizing
Peace: A Constructive Conflict Approach (Oxford University Press).
Kriesberg, who is a major figure in the school of constructive conflict
resolution, pens a compelling narrative in Realizing
Peace, helping readers to better
understand what has happened in past American involvement in foreign conflicts;
to think freshly about better alternatives; and to act in support of more
constructive strategies in the future.
The central chapters of the book explore every major American foreign
conflict since the onset of the Cold War and analyze the United States’ effectiveness
and ineffectiveness in handling those conflicts. Realizing Peace evaluates the constructive nature of U.S. conflict
management and whether its approaches could have yielded better consequences than
more traditional coercive methods. It also provides commentary on how
conflicts can be waged and resolved so they are broadly beneficial rather than
mutually destructive.
Kriesberg’s interest in conflict resolution and peace research
stems from a long fascination and concern for war. World War II and the Cold
War, specifically, motivated Kriesberg to contribute to the prevention of wars
and mass violence, eventually leading him to a lifelong career in the field of
conflict resolution. Of Realizing Peace,
Kriesberg says, “In recent years, I felt increasing dismay that my country,
often with the best of intentions, had acted in ways that contributed to wars
and oppression. I was determined to try to bring to bear what I knew from peace
studies, conflict resolution and related fields to devise better strategies for
Americans’ involvement of foreign conflicts.”
Realizing Peace is
available for purchase on the Oxford University Press website, as well as on
Amazon.com. 05/07/15