Conflict Analysis: Understanding Causes, Unlocking Solutions (United States Institute of Peace Academy Guides) - Softcover

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Matthew Levinger is Research Professor of International Affairs, Master of International Policy and Practice Program Director, and Director of the National Security Studies Program, an executive education program serving the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Before joining GW, he was Senior Program Officer at the United States Institute of Peace, where he developed and taught executive education programs on international conflict analysis and prevention for foreign policy professionals from the United States and overseas. From 2005 to 2007, Levinger was Founding Director of the Academy for Genocide Prevention at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Before moving to Washington, he was associate professor of History at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon; he has also taught at Stanford University. In 2003-2004, he was a William C. Foster Fellow at the U.S. Department of State.

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The change in the patterns and nature of deadly conflicts since the end of the Cold War has spurred many organizations in and outside governments to develop robust strategies to anticipate, prevent, and respond to these conflicts. Conflict analysis is the critical

first step toward meeting these objectives.

Conflict Analysis: Understanding Causes, Unlocking Solutions is a guide for practitioners seeking to prevent deadly conflict or mitigate political instability. Governments, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses operating in conflict zones will find this volume to be a practical, accessible reference for understanding and communicating persuasively about threats of organized violence. This handbook integrates theory and practice and emphasizes the importance of analyzing the causes of peace as well as the causes of conflict. It stresses that conflict analysis is a social as well as an intellectual process, helping practitioners translate analysis into effective action.

To illustrate key points, Levinger draws on both historical and contemporary cases, including the Cuban missile crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Yugoslav wars of secession, the Rwandan genocide, the 9/11 attacks, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Part I examines contemporary global conflict trends, perspectives on the causes of conflict and peace, and quantitative models for early warning and risk assessment. Part II provides practitioners with a menu of analytical tools for systematically assessing causes and potential trajectories of deadly conflicts. Part III focuses on the role of conflict analysis in decision making and program implementation, including the social dimensions of conflict analysis.

The analytical tools in this volume illuminate emerging trends in complex, volatile, and ambiguous environments and will enable practitioners to anticipate and respond with greater agility to threats and opportunities.