War Talk At Peace Talks

As the title illustrates, the book is a story of war and peace talks that culminated in Agreement on the Confl ict Resolution in South Sudan (ARCSS) in July 2015 and its final version of September 2018 known as Revitalized Agreement on Conflict Resolution in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). It emanates from the inside personal experience of the author who served as a frontline negotiator representing the SPLM/A (IO) from Addis-Ababa Peace Talks to High Revitalization Forum in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia and up to the face to Face phase in Khartoum, Sudan. Based on his own grasping of the the entire peace process, the author provides in-depth analysis of issues discussed to resolve the conflict as well as critical reflections on the the diplomatic atmosphere under which the talks were conducted in Addis -Ababa, Arusha, Entebbe and in Khartoum. In sum, the book is largely a story of violent armed conflict, intransigence, tyranny of gun culture and lack of political will to resolve the devastating five years civil strife in South Sudan. WAR.

After a war breaks out, what factors influence the warring parties' decisions about whether to talk to their enemy, and when may their position on wartime diplomacy change? How do we get from only fighting to also talking? In The Costs of Conversation, Oriana Skylar Mastro argues that states are primarily concerned with the strategic costs of conversation, and these costs need to be low before combatants are willing to engage in direct talks with their enemy. Specifically, Mastro writes, leaders look to two factors when determining the probable strategic costs of demonstrating a willingness to talk: the likelihood the enemy will interpret openness to diplomacy as a sign of weakness, and how the enemy may change its strategy in response to such an interpretation. Only if a state thinks it has demonstrated adequate strength and resiliency to avoid the inference of weakness, and believes that its enemy has limited capacity to escalate or intensify the war, will it be open to talking with the enemy. Through four primary case studies—North Vietnamese diplomatic decisions during the Vietnam War, those of China in the Korean War and Sino-Indian War, and Indian diplomatic decision making in the latter conflict—The Costs of Conversation demonstrates that the costly conversations thesis best explains the timing and nature of countries' approach to wartime talks, and therefore when peace talks begin. As a result, Mastro's findings have significant theoretical and practical implications for war duration and termination, as well as for military strategy, diplomacy, and mediation.

Our country is seriously divided politically, and many of us feel this division personally. In Peace Talks, we explore seven factors contributing to our division, as well as providing a path forward so that each of us can learn to become a voice of peace. The book is especially designed for those with an affinity for Jesus, but is accessible to anyone.

Essays.

In his Complaint of Peace, the great sixteenth-century humanist Erasmus allows "Peace" to talk. Peace speaks as a plaintiff, protesting her shabby treatment at the hands of humankind and our ever-ready inclination to launch wars. Against this lure of warfare, Erasmus pits the higher task of peace-building, which can only succeed through the cultivation of justice and respect for all human life. First articulated in 1517, the complaint of peace has echoed through subsequent centuries and down to our age--an age convulsed by world wars, holocausts, and ethnic cleansings. Distinguished political scientist Fred Dallmayr traces this complaint from the writings of Erasmus through the evolution of the "law of nations" to recent and contemporary co-plaintiffs in the West. He also highlights the role of non-Western thinkers and teachings in giving voice to "Peace." In addition to Erasmus, Dallmayr engages major thinkers such as Francisco de Vitoria, Hugo Grotius, Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Martin Heidegger, Mahatma Ghandi, the Dalai Lama, John Rawls, and Martha Nussbaum. This timely book urgently pleads for greater attentiveness to peace's complaint as an antidote to the prevailing culture of violence and the escalating danger of nuclear catastrophe. Dallmayr offers not only a compelling historical narrative, but powerful ethical and religious arguments vindicating the primacy of peace over violence and war.

Costa Book Award Shortlist: A recently widowed diplomat negotiates with his own grief in a moving novel “laced with humor and sadness” (Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon). Edvard Behrends is a highly regarded senior diplomat who has made his reputation as a mediator in international peace negotiations. In his latest post, he’s been sent to a resort hotel in the Tyrol. High up on this mountain, the air is bright and clear. When he isn’t working, Edvard reads, walks, listens to music. He confides in no one—no one but his wife, Anna. Anna, whom he loves with all his heart; Anna, always present and yet forever absent. And as he does the delicate work of keeping humankind’s darker instincts in check with patience and carefully chosen words, he tries also to find his own equilibrium in this “intimate account of what it means to make peace, both with others and with oneself” (Colum McCann). “A quietly intense novel of sudden grief and its aftermath.” —Kirkus Reviews “Finch’s elegant and wintry novel has something of the feel of early Kazuo Ishiguro, and a similar acute grasp of both character and situation, aided by the author’s background in refugee and migrant charities.” —The Observer “A tender and elegant portrait of a grieving individual searching for personal and political peace.” —The Times

Across the world governments proclaim that they will never ‘negotiate with evil’. And yet they always have and always will. From jungle clearings to stately homes and anonymous airport hotels, Talking to Terrorists puts us in the room with the terrorists, secret agents and go-betweens who seek to change the course of history. Jonathan Powell has spent nearly two decades mediating between governments and terrorist organisations. Drawing on conflicts from Colombia and Sri Lanka to Palestine and South Africa, this optimistic, wide-ranging, authoritative book is about how and why we should talk to terrorists. ‘Essential reading’ Independent ‘Fascinating’ Sunday Times Now includes a new Afterword - Talking to ISIL *Perfect for fans of The Looming Tower*

The First World War followed a period of sustained peace in Europe during which people talked with confidence of prosperity, progress, and hope. But in 1914, Europe walked into a catastrophic conflict that killed millions, bled its economies dry, shook empires and societies to pieces, and fatally undermined Europe’s dominance of the world. It was a war that could have been avoided up to the last moment—so why did it happen? Beginning in the early nineteenth century and ending with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, award-winning historian Margaret Macmillan uncovers the huge political and technological changes, national decisions, and just as important, the small moments of human muddle and weakness that led Europe from peace to disaster. This masterful exploration of how Europe chose its path towards war will change and enrich how we see this defining moment in history.