Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Asia's Trouble Spots: The Leadership Question in Conflict Resolution

The art of successful negotiations over protracted conflicts presupposes a political commitment to peace and a willingness to compromise, which are sorely lacking in the current disorderly world. Part of the blame for this lies in weak and ineffective national and global leadership. This book's sharp focus on the role of leadership at different levels-national government, rebel and Western/regional government mediators-as well as that of the UN and non-governmental players in settling intra-state disputes, is a unique feature which sets it apart from others. Much of the existing literature does not adequately discuss the role of the above actors in developing countries. Asia's Trouble Spots is a serious attempt to fill this gap. The seven country studies in Asia-Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and China-discuss, inter alia, how peace negotiations between national political and rebel leaders have unfolded. The role of state-sponsored cross-border terrorists and non-state spoilers such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS is addressed in the context of geopolitical rivalry among regional and global powers. A. S. Bhalla challenges the view that Western leaders can act as impartial mediators in intra-state and inter-state disputes. With few exceptions, their record has been dismal at best. Their failure in conflict resolution arises from a loss of moral authority and credibility, which follows the gradual erosion over the years of such liberal values as the rule of law and respect for democracy and human rights. Commercial and strategic self-interests have also tended to undermine peacebuilding efforts. Review A.S. Bhalla has written a thoughtful book ... Bhalla does a very good job of explaining how changing political dynamics created the context for leaders to decide whether and how to look for durable solutions and, more importantly, stand up to spoilers within their own side, whether their own military or security forces or local elites. This is a well-written book ... [that] would be an effective resource for delving into the spoiler question.-- "Contemporary Southeast Asia" A.S. Bhalla has written a thoughtful book, Asia's Trouble Spots. Bhalla focuses his analysis on the government's leadership and their ability to mitigate spoilers. The author does a very good job of explaining how changing political dynamics created the context for leaders to decide whether and how to look for durable political solutions. This is a well-written book that introduces students to a range of case studies and it would be an effective resource for delving into the spoiler question.-- "Contemporary Southeast Asia" In a clear and informative addition to a field with enough convoluted theories to resemble scholasticism, Ajit Bhalla covers selected conflicts and tensions in Asia, a region which has a wide range of diverse histories, populations and traditions.-- "The Hindu" This excellent book seeks to understand why conflict in Asia, and especially ethnic hostility and tension, have remained unresolved for so long.... Two points of quality stand out. First, it compares a range of different case studies based on seven Asian countries, with different cultures, populations, histories and political systems. This is an enlightening approach. Second, Bhalla shows himself at home in all case studies. The way he handles material covering so many diverse cases is nothing short of masterly.... I recommend the book strongly for both specialists and non-specialists. It seems to me to cover ethnicity, religion, politics, conflict and even international relations broadly and sensitively. It is extremely useful as an innovative analysis of our complex and troubled age.-- "Asian Studies Review" Dr Bhalla has done a great service to the global world of scholarship by drawing attention to one of the burning questions of the day: autocracy vs populism. Just when we thought that liberal democracy, ushered in the aftermath of