Regional Guide to International Conflict and Management from 1945 to 2003 by Jacob Bercovitch and Judith Fretter. CQ Press (http://www.cqpress.com), 1255 22nd Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037, 2004, 400 pages, $118.00 (hardcover).
Jacob Bercovitch and Judith Fretter’s Regional Guide to International Conflict and Management from 1945 to 2003 is a must-have for people framing the environment of their next potential deployment. This book serves not only as a reference of more than 343 conflicts in the post–World War II era but also as a primer on managing international conflict. The authors, instructors at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, started the project over 20 years ago and have continually updated conflict summaries. Their adept handling of a subject of such large scope is reflected in the regional and chronological breakdown of individual incidents. Regional Guide highlights spikes in tensions between countries as well as situations that precipitated violence.
The authors note that conflict contains single or multiple parts of interstate armed conflicts, internationalized civil wars, and militarized disputes. They divide the book into three general divisions: an overview of international conflict, regional breakdowns of conflicts, and appendices. The first 50 pages give careful attention to management of international conflict; the next 250, the bulk of the work, include summaries of the world’s conflicts (which indicate whether or not mediation was attempted and whether or not it succeeded), divided into regions of the world; and the final 40 pages or so consist of reference material, including explanations of the United Nations and major regional organizations such as the Organization of American States and the Arab League.
The first section summarizes current trends of thought on the nature and management of conflict. In addition, it details international and regional organizations involved in mediation and conflict resolution. The authors briefly touch on causes of conflict, citing the Cold War, decolonization, and ethnic strife as major areas of concern during the last 60 years. They give terrorism only superficial treatment as a fringe phenomenon. Furthermore, Bercovitch and Fretter analyze patterns of conflict, concluding that “although the absolute number of conflicts have risen, the number of conflicts in progress have been declining since the mid-1980s” (p. 9). Additionally, patterns show that the two most strife-ridden areas of the world are Africa and the Middle East.
The authors point to territory and sovereignty as the two main causes of war (p. 10). Additionally, although countries are willing to go to war, research points out that of 343 conflicts, only 50 resulted in victory for one side or the other (p. 11). On the other hand, over one-third have been partly resolved due to some form of negotiation. One needs conflict management because war is expensive and because of the adverse effect on the lives and economies of individual countries and those in the region. In a majority of cases, regional organizations must deal with pleas to rebuild war-ravaged areas. The authors’ view of conflict management rests on the assumption that conflict cannot be controlled but only managed or resolved (p. 13). Therefore, it is crucial to develop an appreciation for methods of conflict resolution.
Methods of conflict management, which are as varied as the causes of conflict, include diplomatic, legal, and political means. In turn, styles of resolution include bargaining, mediation, observer/fact-finding missions, peacekeeping, shuttle diplomacy, and international forums for airing complaints. The legal arena makes use of arbitration and adjudication; however, international law seriously retards success. Historically speaking, third-party mediation and negotiation have proven most effective, but fewer than 43 percent of conflicts are successfully arbitrated. On the other hand, the success rate of conflict resolution is not much better, standing at roughly 50 percent.
The heart of the book, the summaries of individual conflict, reveals excruciating detail. The authors examine each region, paying attention to the regional political environment, trends of conflict, and avenues of mediation available or pursued in the past. The shortest summaries are about 300 words in length whereas those for some topics are four times that long. Each summary adequately addresses each conflict without bias.
Lastly, the appendices contain a wealth of information, including a chronological listing of conflicts since 1945, fact sheets on major international organizations, and a plethora of reference sources. The bibliography lists a wide range of books covering over 50 years of the history of international conflict.
Regional Guide to International Conflict and Management from 1945 to 2003 takes on the daunting task of shedding light on the conflict-management process and succeeds in doing so. The authors’ professional treatment of research material is reflected in their use of primary and secondary documents. They deliver an evenhanded analysis and give neutral treatment to polarizing topics. Offering readers points of departure for further academic inquiry, this book is a valuable resource for people serious about being prepared for deployments and conflict management.
Capt Daniel L. Magruder Jr., USAF
Hurlburt Field, Florida
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
[ Book Reviews | Home Page| Feedback? Contact the Editor ]