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.

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, terrorist attacks in the U. S., and the War in Iraq.

Booknews

In 1994, Hamburg (president emeritus, Carnegie Corporation) and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance established the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. This work highlights some of the recommendations of the Commission's report along side further observations by Hamburg. Recommendations include the encouragement of market democracies and the active involvement of international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Recognizing that massive economic inequality is a major motor for conflict, he offers little solution beyond vague calls for "development." Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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.