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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.
