Routledge Peacebuilding in Crisis: Rethinking Paradigms and Practices of Transnational Cooperation (Routledge Global Cooperation Series)

The 1990s saw a constant increase in international peace missions, predominantly led by the United Nations, whose mandates were more and more extended to implement societal and political transformations in post-conflict societies. However, in many cases these missions did not meet the high expectations and did not acquire a sufficient legitimacy on the local level. Written by leading experts in the field, this edited volume brings together ‘liberal’ and ‘post-liberal’ approaches to peacebuilding. Besides challenging dominant peacebuilding paradigms, the book scrutinizes how far key concepts of post-liberal peacebuilding offer sound categories and new perspectives to reframe peacebuilding research. It thus moves beyond the ‘liberal’–‘post-liberal’ divide and systematically integrates further perspectives, paving the way for a new era in peacebuilding research which is theory-guided, but also substantiated in the empirical analysis of peacebuilding practices. This book will be essential reading for postgraduate students and scholar-practitioners working in the field of peacebuilding. By embedding the subject area into different research perspectives, the book will also be relevant for scholars who come from related backgrounds, such as democracy promotion, transitional justice, statebuilding, conflict and development research and international relations in general. Review [Peacebuilding in Crisis: Rethinking paradigms and process of transnational cooperation] provides a detailed and precise overview of the abundance of literature which has mostly been published in the Anglo-Saxon region. ... The strength of the publication lies in its critical analysis. It presents the current status of academic discussion in a persuasive way. ... Not only the practice of peacekeeping, but also the academic debate depicts the challenges and shortcomings of international commitment to cope with crises and conflicts. This contribution is undoubtedly vital and makes the publication well worth reading. - Translated from the German, W&F Wissenschaft und Frieden, 3/16, 55-56 About the Author Tobias Debiel is Professor for International Relations and Development Policy, at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where he is the Director of the Institute for Development and Peace as well as Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg/Centre for Global Cooperation Research, Germany. Thomas Held is the Managing Director, German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) which was founded in 2000 to strengthen peace research in Germany. Ulrich Schneckener is Professor of International Relations and Peace & Conflict Studies,University of Osnabrück, and Director of the University’s Center for Democracy and Peace Research as well as Member of the Governing Board of the German Foundation for Peace Research, Germany.