No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict

David A. Hamburg—doctor, teacher, hostage negotiator, presidential advisor, and more—has seen a lot in his 77 years and has a message for the 21st century: An ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure when it comes to deadly international conflict. To explore how the model of preventive medicine may be practically applied to political violence, Hamburg created the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. This book is the capstone of the Commission's extensive efforts and covers situations as widely ranging as World War II's Holocaust, recent terrorist attacks in the U.S., and the War in Iraq. As Hamburg details, the prevention of war is built on key pillars including democratic governance, economic development, and nonviolent problem solving in dangerous situations. International cooperation and strong leadership at every level are essential. Perhaps most important, a civil society that embraces differences rather than exploiting them is an evolving need. In No More Killing Fields, David A. Hamburg combines the best of long personal experience, multifaceted scholarship, and acute prognosis to point the way toward peace in the 21st century.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Prologue Chapter 2 Growing Up in a Time of Violence: Multiple Perspectives on Prevention Chapter 3 The Origins of World War II and the Holocaust: Powerful Stimuli for Prevention Chapter 4 Governments and Intergovernmental Organizations: Paralyzed Giants or Serious Players? Chapter 5 Institutions of Civil Society: Partners for Peace Chapter 6 Preventive Diplomacy: Early Help with Empathy and Problem Solving Chapter 7 Democracy and Prevention: The Essence of Nonviolent Conflict Resolution Chapter 8 Toward Competent, Decent, and Prosperous States: Updating Socioeconomic Development Chapter 9 International Cooperation for Prevention: Emerging from the Shadows Chapter 10 Preventing Catastrophic Terrorism: International Cooperation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Democratic Development Chapter 11 Prognosis for Prevention: Promising Developments in the First Two Years of the Twenty-First Century Chapter 13 Epilogue: A Landmark Report on Fulfillment of the UN's Potential for Prevention Chapter 14 Appendix I Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict Publications Chapter 15 Appendix II Additional Valuable Sources of Information and Concepts Pertinent to Preventing Deadly Conflict

About the Author :
David A. Hamburg, M.D., is president emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and currently a visiting scholar in the Department of Psychiatry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. He has been a professor at Stanford and Harvard, president of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the National Academy of Sciences' Public Welfare Medal (its highest award), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.

Review :
This book is a clear and insightful statement of the principles and practices of prevention. Covering a wide range of topics, it focuses especially on supporting preventive diplomacy, building democratic institutions, and upgrading socio-economic development—three vital pillars of preventive engagement. It shows how international cooperation is both essential and feasible for accomplishing these tasks, and applies this perspective to the prevention of catastrophic terrorism. Drawing on his rich background as a physician, scholar, and policymaker, David Hamburg has given us a definitive book on preventive diplomacy. Now, more than ever, we understand that cooperative international action is our first line of defense. Few have devoted so much of their professional and personal energies and resources to this imperative. In No More Killing Fields, David Hamburg provides a wealth of inspired, creative, proactive, and practical measures for policy-makers and all those committed to preventing deadly conflict. David Hamburg's unique combination of wisdom and public-minded spirit has produced a lifetime record of remarkable accomplishment. David, more than anyone I have known, combines great breadth of experience with tremendous depth of knowledge. No More Killing Fields is the result of David's decades of work in strengthening capacities for preventing deadly conflict. I recommend this book to anyone interested in improving prospects for humanity and providing a better future for our children and grandchildren. As a physician, David Hamburg concluded early in his career that preventing disease was far more rewarding than treating it. So too, he argues, preventing violent conflicts is ultimately more rewarding than resolving them. His ideas deserve wide attention and careful consideration. There is more wisdom about deadly conflicts distilled in this book than in scores of others I have read. I hope policy-makers, analysts and ordinary citizens will read and heed David Hamburg's message about the importance of prevention. Read this stimulating volume and you will agree that few men have done more or as much for the prevention of war and the urgent need for international reconciliation than David Hamburg. His lifelong commitment to conflict resolution is a powerful appeal for hope. Hamburg argues for a back-to-basics approach . . . advanced with a moral and intellectual conviction that is compelling. Excellent bibliography on preventative diplomacy and useful information about organizations active in that area. David Hamburg's rich book No More Killing Fields explores the equivalent of preventive medicine in the field of international security.