Our Library

• Year2004
• Author(s)Martina Fischer

Discusses the dual goal of controlling violence while rebuilding cooperative relationships, which calls for an integration of academic approaches with peacekeeping practice. The authors highlight the relevance of conflict resolution theory for peacekeepers, commenting on areas of application and addressing future peacekeeping needs. (revised for 2004 print edition)

• Year2004
• Author(s)Wibke Hansen, Oliver Ramsbotham, Tom Woodhouse

Deals with the challenges of linking theory, research and practice, and offers strategies for doing so in all relevant areas of social change. The author argues that the structural sources of conflict have been relatively neglected in conflict analysis and in the design of intervention processes. Until this situation is reversed, it will be difficult to generate stable, peaceful and just relationships. (revised for 2004 print edition)

• Year2004
• Author(s)Kevin Clements

Introduces early warning activities and identifies different areas of focus, methodologies and mechanisms employed. The author discusses critically whether existing early warning systems can: a) identify the causes of conflict; b) predict the outbreak of conflict; and c) mitigate conflict. (revised for 2004 print edition)

• Year2004
• Author(s)Alex Austin

Offers conflict transformation approaches for groups, teams and organisations. The authors identify five levels of cooperation within teams (i.e. the level of individual members, the content level, the interaction level, the procedural level and the level of external relations between the group and its environment) and offer suggestions for addressing conflict within teams at each level. (revised for 2004 print edition)

• Year2004
• Author(s)Friedrich Glasl, Rudi Ballreich

Violent crises and internal wars are often consequences of the failure of states to provide stability and security for their citizens. International organisations and development agencies, in order to overcome cultures of violence and to support nation-building processes, have focused on security sector reform as an integral part of third-party intervention in recent years. This issue of the Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series examines the arguments for engagement with the security sector and provides an analysis of the dilemmas that arise, along with suggestions for how they might be overcome.

• Year2004

Considers how international agencies providing humanitarian assistance, development aid and/or support to peace processes can understand what their impacts are. The article builds on a collaborative learning project and identifies two major challenges: 1) selecting criteria or indicators for assessing progress; and 2) determining who or what particular outcomes can be attributed to. (revised for 2004 print edition)

• Year2004
• Author(s)Mary B. Anderson

• Year2004
• Author(s)David Becker

The articles by Hugh Miall and Cordula Reimann in Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation (2001) attempt to map out a distinct theory of conflict transformation, but in the process they present the field of conflict resolution as a problem-solving theory (herein after, referred individually as ‘Article 1’ and ‘Article 2’, and collectively as ‘the Articles’). Conflict resolution is represented in the Articles by singularity of strategy, target group and as envisaging an end point to conflicts, when parties arrive at a ‘positive sum outcome’ (Miall, 2001:3; Reimann, 2001:13). This leads to a claim that conflict resolution is a relatively simplistic approach to contemporary conflicts (Miall, 2001:1), hence the Articles consider and develop conflict transformation as a more realistic approach to protracted violent conflict situations

• Year2003
• Author(s)Githathevi Kanisin

Over the last ten years, interest in conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities has increased significantly. As a result of this interest, there is a high demand for "model" projects, examples of good practice and "lessons learned" which can be transferred to other projects and regions. Supply, though, does not match this demand. There are still no quick and easy answers to the question of how best to assess, monitor and evaluate peace practices. On the contrary, experience shows that assessing and measuring the impact and outcomes of peacebuilding activities is actually a very complicated task. The articles and comments in this first issue of the Berghof Handbook Dialogue Series reflect the state of the art in peace and conflict impact assessment (PCIA) from a variety of angles.

• Year2003