Peacebuilding in the Asia-Pacific

This book explores theories of conflict and peacebuilding and applies them to case studies from the Asia Pacific region, seeking to shift attention to the inherency of conflict, the constant danger of re-emergence, and the need to establish mechanisms to resolve it. The authors argue that the central focus of peacebuilding should not be state-building per se, but rather the creation of effective mechanisms for peaceful resolution of both past and newly emerging conflicts. To do so, it is important to consider the entire process of creating peace, to contemplate the linkages between conflict, resolution, and post-conflict peacebuilding, rather than focus only on the period of institution-building.

Offers a systematic examination of peacebuilding efforts in the Asia Pacific Emphasizes the importance of institutional mechanisms to help prevent future conflicts in war-torn societies Includes case studies of the southern Philippines, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Samoa, and southern Thailand

Autorentext
Carmela Lutmar is Visiting Lecturer at New York University, USA, and Lecturer in the Division of International Relations in the School of Political Sciences at the University of Haifa, Israel.
**James Ockey** is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: From Conflict to Enduring Peace.- 2. The Tripartite Formula and Peacebuilding in the Pacific.- 3. The Missing Link: Patterns in Leadership Changes and Mediation in Civil Wars.- 4. Making Peace in the Southern Philippines: Negotiated Settlements and the Search for a Durable Peace.- 5. Power Sharing and Power Dividing in the Asia-Pacific.- 6. Buying Peace in Timor-Leste: Crisis, Side-payments, and Regime-Building.- 7. Conflict Resolution and Political Change in Tonga.- 8. Peace and Conflict in Samoa: The Role of Tradition and Traditional Institutions.- 9. From Conflict to Peaceful Participation: a Case Study of the Ongoing Conflict in Southern Thailand.- 10. Resident Evil at the Gate of the Holy Land: Brewing socio-politico tensions in post-conflict Aceh.- 11. Conclusions.