Winning the Peace: An American Strategy for Post-Conflict Reconstruction (CSIS Significant Issues, No. 26) (Csis Significant Issues Series) [Paperback]

Robert C. Orr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2004 | ISBN-10: 0892064447 | ISBN-13: 978-0892064441

Events in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans have proved that failed and defeated states threaten the national security interests of the United States and the stability of entire regions. But success in addressing these threats clearly depends on more than military might; the post-conflict period is equally crucial. Case studies in this book examine the U.S. approach in Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The book offers policy guidance on how to handle current reconstruction challenges and on building capacity to do a better job when America is inevitably called on to restore failed nations in the future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winning the Peace provides a convincing blueprint for establishing ...division of labor between military forces and a reinvigorated civilian capacity." -- Gen. George Joulwan, USA (ret.)

About the Author

Robert C. Orr is executive director for research at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Center for Strategic & Intl studies (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892064447
• ISBN-13: 978-0892064441
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for the expert and the interested reader, August 12, 2004

By 

J. M Quirk - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Winning the Peace: An American Strategy for Post-Conflict Reconstruction (CSIS Significant Issues, No. 26) (Csis Significant Issues Series) (Paperback)

This collection establishes a framework to review past efforts at post-conflict reconstruction (a subset of the work of nation-building). More importantly, it seeks to draw from an array of experiences to offer guidelines, or at least guideposts, on what to do in Iraq.

Start at the back. In tabular form, Appendix 1 lays out the four primary areas to be addressed in post-conflict reconstruction: security, governance and political participation, social and economic well-being, and justice and reconciliation. It identifies the goals and tasks in each of these areas over time: initial response, transformation, and fostering sustainability. The case studies are Japan, Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Germany and Bosnia are glaring omissions, although each is referred to throughout. Unlike many collections, this one has a thorough index.

This is an insightful guide to the individual cases, the cases in comparative perspective, and the challenges ahead in Iraq. I will assign it in appropriate undergraduate courses.

Also, compare this book with a similar one by Dobbins et al., America's Role in Nation-Building (RAND, 2003).