The Little Book of Strategic Peacebuilding

So we'd all like a more peaceful world-no wars, no poverty, no more racism, no community disputes, no office tensions, no marital skirmishes. Lisa Schirch in her timely book sets forth paths to such realities. In fact, she points a way to more than the absence of conflict. She foresees justpeace-a sustainable state of affairs because it is a peace which insists on justice. How to arrive there is the subject of this book. Peacebuilding recognizes the complexity and the effort this elusive ideal requires. Schirch singles out four critical actions that must be undertaken if peace is to take root at any level) - 1.) waging conflict nonviolently; 2.) reducing direct violence; 3.) transforming relationships; and 4.) building capacity. She never imagines this to be a quick-or an individual-task. Her clear and incisive strategy encourages enabling many approaches to peace, honestly assessing who holds power, and persuading and coercing, but always with keen judgment and precise timing. From Schirch's 15 years of experience as a peacebuilding consultant in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

     
     Lisa Schrich is a professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and prgram director of the 3D Security Initiative (www.3Dsecurity.org), which promotes conflict prevention and peacebuilding in U.S. security policymaking. With colleagues in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU, Schirch consults with a network of organizations involved in peacbuilding activities throughout the U.S., Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. She has worked in over 20 countries. 

     
     A former Fulbright Fellow in East and West Africa, Schirch has written four books and numbrous articles on conflict preventions and peacebuilding. She is a frequent public speaker and has TV and radio experience discussing U.S. foreign policy.  

     
     She holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.