Zachary Abuza. Conspiracy of Silence: The Insurgency in Southern Thailand. Washington, DC: United States Institute for Peace Press, 2009. 172 pages. $16.95 (paperback), ISBN:160127002X.
This probing analysis of the current conflict in southern Thailand discusses its causes and current state, who is behind the unrest, what the militants want, the responses of the Thai government, and the ramifications for Thailand and the region. The author pursues three hypotheses: first, that the government has exacerbated the problem; second, that international terrorist groups have involved themselves, to some extent, in this insurgency; and third, that the various insurgent groups are working together and coordinating their actions, as evidenced by their “conspiracy of silence.” The book will especially interest scholars and historians of political science, insurgency movements, Southeast Asia, and Islamic fundamentalism.
Amrita Narlikar (ed). Deadlocks in Multilateral Relations: Causes and Solutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 336 pages. $36.00 (paperback), ISBN: 0521130670.
This essay collection examines deadlocks in multilateral negotiations. It opens with a chapter in which the editors articulate six hypotheses about deadlock's causes (related to best alternatives, bluffing, balances of power, institutional structures, fairness and justice concerns, and, in an international context, domestic interests). The corresponding solutions that the editors propose are then tested by the contributors in essays about the history of political and military deadlocks, negotiating out of strikes, litigating out of international deadlocks (involving the World Trade Organization, the European Union, and the United Nations), the importance of informal negotiations to the U.N. Security Council, negotiations at Doha and in Kosovo, mediation and leadership change, and the role of the United States in climate change negotiations. This volume will particularly interest students of international relations and negotiation's role in political science.
Francesco Aquilar and Mauro Galluccio (eds). Psychological and Political Strategies for Peace Negotiations: A Cognitive Approach. New York: Springer, 2010. 286 pages. $129.00 (hardcover), ISBN: 1441974296.
These essays examine the psychology of negotiation within peace processes. They take a cognitive approach to answering such questions as: What psychological skills do transformational leaders need in order to negotiate for peace? The collection brings a psychological perspective to bear on such negotiation processes as decision making, changing one's mind during conflict, emotional competence, communication, tacit knowledge, and escalation. This book will interest anyone involved with peace negotiations, cognitive psychotherapy (as it applies to conflict), international relations, and especially those who are trying to educate tomorrow's international leaders with the most current and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills.
Michael Semple. Reconciliation in Afghanistan. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2009. 104 pages. $10.00 (paperback), ISBN: 1601270429.
The author served as deputy to the European Union special representative to Afghanistan from 2004 to 2007. During that time, he met with two hundred Afghans who were involved in the country's insurgency, ranging from Taliban leadership to young rebels. The book analyzes the goals and efficacy of the post‐2001 attempts to reconcile with insurgents and to include historically estranged groups in the new government (per the Bonn Accords). The author argues that reconciliation, while unlikely, is possible because the insurgency is not monolithic; it comprises different command networks with different levels of allegiance to the Taliban leadership. The book concludes with recommendations for the Afghan government and the international community. This book will be interesting to anyone studying state building and conflict in the Middle East.
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. The Diplomat's Dictionary, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2009. 320 pages. $14.95 (paperback), ISBN: 1878379666.
This book of quotations includes both sincere academic definitions (“leverage: strategic advantage conferred by the ability to punish”) and aphoristic witticisms (“diplomacy: the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ till you can find a rock”). Those quoted include intellectuals, politicians, leaders, and proverbs, both ancient and modern. Interestingly, some phrases (such as “foreign aid”) benefit from a compilation of definitions that make no attempt at unified objectivity, but instead advance conflicting opinions and perspectives. Surprisingly, though, most of the author's original definitions for this modern dictionary make no attempt at gender neutrality (“An ambassador is a man out to make the world safe for hypocrisy”). Freeman is a diplomat who has served widely throughout Asia, and was the principal interpreter during President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972. The book will be entertaining and thought‐provoking for diplomats, speechwriters, and students looking for aphorisms with which to open their international relations papers.
Anatoly Adamishin and Richard Schifter. Human Rights, Perestroika, and the End of the Cold War. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press, 2009. 356 pages. $24.95 (paperback), ISBN: 1601270402.
This memoir was cowritten by two diplomats, one American and one Russian, who negotiated with each other on behalf of their countries as part of the effort to end the Cold War. Each chapter comprises their two separate accounts of the same events, including talks over political prisoners, emigration, perestroika, and international trust in general. In addition to offering this courtside look at these critical negotiations, the book explicitly advances this thesis: that more U.S. assistance to the Soviet Union after the Cold War could have helped prevent Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's loss of leadership, which ultimately hampered democracy's expansion in Russia. Implicitly, the book also demonstrates that while human rights might be inalienable, many policies that affect human rights are negotiated, and therefore any student of human rights law and philosophy needs to understand political negotiation.