Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History (Longman Classics in Political Science)

Book Description

Written by renowned international relations expert Joseph S. Nye, this lively book gives readers the background in history and political concepts they need to understand the issues facing our world today: the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, nuclear proliferation in North Korea and Iran, and much more. Origins of the Great Twentieth-Century Conflicts; Balance of Power and World War I; The Failure of Collective Security and World War II; The Cold War; Intervention, Institutions, and Regional Conflicts; Interdependence and Globalization; The Information Age; A New World Order? Anyone interested in understanding international relations today.

Customer Reviews:

Good Detail of Topics Relating to International Politics.......2006-03-01

I had to purchase this book as a second book for a class I had taken. This book helped cover many of the topics I had to study and this book did a better job of describing several topics relating to nationalism, imperialism history of international politics, foreign policies, international law and organization and human factors in international politics. I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to learn the basics or even get more indepth details on certain topics of international politics.

An interesting book indeed.......2003-12-22

An interesting book indeed, written by an excellent writer who took me in a journey through history beginning with the Peloponnesian war and passing through world war one and two and the cold war after that, and ending with the new world order.

The book starts with the two views of the anarchic politics ( Realism & Liberalism ) and a very wise explanation for both of them, and I liked the way the writer analyzed the two world wars and their reasons and I agree with him about the inevitability part as I believe that the war wasn't inevitable but I quote him by saying "Ironically the belief that war is inevitable played a major role in causing it", and also the part about ethics and morality is very interesting and I liked what the French diplomat said when he was asked about what's moral and his answer was "what's moral is whatever is good for France", and also the part about counterfactuals was very exciting.

I don't agree with the writer about some points concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict but the book as a whole is a very good one.

I agree with the "back to the future" theory in some points as all I see now is "the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accepts what they have to accept".

I'll quote him again to end my review by saying "Has global society made war socially and morally unthinkable? We have to hope so, because the next hegemonic war would probably be the last".

Excellent book :).......2003-12-08

The basis for "Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History" is, as the author explains in the preface, a course on international conflicts in the modern world he taught for a long time in Harvard. Nye says that the aim of the book is "to introduce students to the complexities of international politics by giving them a good grounding in the traditional realist theory before turning to liberal and constructivist approaches that became more prominent after the Cold War". I believe he excels at doing exactly that...

I found the book very interesting, and full of examples taken from history that made the concepts easier to grasp. Moreover, it takes into account the three levels of causation: the individual, the state and the international system. It also includes suggested reading material, that allows the reader to delve deeper in those subjects she/he finds more interesting...

The book is very well organized. It was a foreword, a preface, 9 chapters and an index. Each chapter deals with a main theme, and some related topics. The themes of the chapters are:

chapter 1:"Is there an enduring logic of conflict in world politics?";
chapter 2: "Origins of the great 20th century conflicts";
chapter 3: "Balance of power and World War I";
chapter 4: "The failure of collective security and World War II";
chapter 5: "The Cold War";
chapter 6: "Intervention, institutions and regional and ethnic conflicts";
chapter 7: "Globalization and interdependence";
chapter 8: "The information revolution, transnational actors, and the diffusion of power";
chapter 9: "A new world order?".

All in all, I strongly recommend this book to those interested in international relations... I think the author was successful in doing what he set out to do: he didn't want to give all the answers, he merely tried to help the readers to look for them. In his own words: "provide our students with conceptual tools that will help them shape their own answers as the future unfolds".

On the whole, a keeper :) Enjoy it !!!

Superb, Post 9-11 Update, Excellent Adult Foundation.......2003-01-11

First, it is vital for prospective buyers to understand that the existing reviews are three years out of date--this is a five-star tutorial on international relations that has been most recently updated after 9-11. If I were to recommend only two books on international relations, for any adult including nominally sophisticated world travelers, this would be the first book; the second would be Shultz, Godson, & Quester's wonderful edited work, "Security Studies for the 21st Century."

I really want to stress the utility of this work to adults, including those like myself who earned a couple of graduate degrees in the last century (smile). I was surprised to find no mention of the author's stellar service as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council--not only has he had full access to everything that can be known by secret as well as non-secret means, but he has kept current, and this undergraduate and affordable paperback was a great way for me--despite the 400+ books I've read (most of them reviewed on Amazon.com) in the past four plus years--to come up to speed on the rigorous methodical scholarly understanding of both historical and current theories and practices in international relations. This book is worth anyone's time, no matter how experienced or educated.

Each chapter has a very satisfactory mix of figures, maps, chronologies, and photos--a special value is a block chart showing the causes for major wars or periods of conflict at the three levels of analysis--international system, national, and key individual personalities, and I found these quite original and helpful.

Excellent reference and orientation work. Took five hours to read, with annotation--this is not a mind-glazer, it's a mind-exerciser.

excellent intro book to International Affairs.......1999-11-11

One of the few textbooks I truly enjoyed, Nye's Understanding International Conflicts was a clear, easy-to-read, and yet insightful book. Its focus is on the three levels of influence on a state's behavior: the interstate system, intrastate politics, and individual. It is one of the few entry-level IA books to discuss the effect of personality on the actions of a state. Even in my graduate-level seminars and papers, I found it to be useful.

The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict

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Detailed and theoretical
Great.

The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict
Christopher W. Moore
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
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ASIN: 0787964468

Book Description

Since it was first published in 1986, The Mediation Process has become a landmark resource for mediation practitioners, trainers, students, and professionals in corporate, legal, health care, education, and governmental arenas. This thoroughly revised and expanded third edition has been updated to include coverage of the most contemporary issues in mediation practice and to provide updated bibliographical resources.

Customer Reviews:

Detailed and theoretical.......2006-03-25

As a beginning mediator, I found this book very detailed and theoretical. I am sure that I will return to it again and again as I gain experience. I found "Basic Skills for the New Mediator (2d edition)" by Allan H. Goodman to provide a quicker and more practical overview. When used together, I believe both books are a good basis for the practicing mediator.

Great........2005-10-01

This book was great and exactly how it was described in the review. I received it at a fast pace.
Thanks.

Average customer rating:

Worth buying
Exceptional!
Can't Put it Down!
Interesting & Analytical, but Stiff
Murder most foul!

The Cases That Haunt Us
John Douglas , and Mark Olshaker
Manufacturer: Scribner
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Binding: Hardcover

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Obsession
The Anatomy of Motive : The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals
Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
Journey Into Darkness
Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet

ASIN: 0684846004

Amazon.com

Confident in his opinions and systematic in his examination of high-profile whodunits, FBI veteran John Douglas proves his worth once again as one of the world's best psychological detectives. You may think you've read all there is about Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, and the Lindbergh kidnapping, but Douglas has a few surprise conclusions in his modern analysis of these gripping crimes. By applying criminal personality profiling techniques he developed while stalking more current killers, Douglas provides a fresh, sage outlook on some disturbing history. He also sheds new light on San Francisco's Zodiac Killer, the Black Dahlia murder, Bambi Bembenek, the Boston Strangler, and the continuing mystery of who killed 6-year-old JonBenét Ramsey. Douglas sometimes reveals his chief suspect; other times he simply narrows down who the killer is not. In the JonBenét mystery (in which Douglas was hired by the Ramseys to find the killer), he presents a convincing case for why he believes the girl's parents are not guilty of murder. Douglas is founder of the FBI's Serial Killer Profiling Unit. His method of solving a crime by entering the mind of the killer inspired Thomas Harris's book The Silence of the Lambs. In this dissection of our most sensational crimes, Douglas proves that reality can be more horrifying than fiction. --Jodi Mailander Farrell

Book Description

America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of seven of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime -- from the Whitechapel murders to JonBenet Ramsey -- often contradicting conventional wisdom and legal decisions.

Jack the Ripper. Lizzie Borden. The Zodiac Killer. Certain homicide cases maintain an undeniable, almost mystical hold on the public imagination. They touch a nerve deep within us because of the personalities involved, their senseless depravity, the nagging doubts about whether justice was done, or because, in some instances, no suspect has ever been identified or caught.

In The Cases That Haunt Us, twenty-five-year-FBI-veteran John Douglas, profiling pioneer and master of modern criminal investigative analysis, and author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, the team behind the bestselling Mindhunter series, explore the tantalizing mysteries that both their legions of fans and law enforcement professionals ask about most. Among the questions they tackle:

Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence, eldest grandson of Queen Victoria, or perhaps a practicing medical doctor? And did highly placed individuals within Scotland Yard have a good idea of the Ripper's identity, which they never revealed? Douglas and Olshaker create a detailed profile of the killer, and reveal their chief suspect.

Was Lizzie Borden truly innocent of the murder of her father and stepmother as the Fall River, Massachusetts, jury decided, or was she the one who took the ax and delivered those infamous "whacks"? Through a minute-by-minute behavioral analysis of the crime, the authors come to a convincing conclusion.

Did Bruno Richard Hauptmann single-handedly kidnap the baby son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the most famous couple in the world, or was he an innocent man caught up and ultimately executed in a relentless rush to judgment in the "crime of the century"?

What kind of person could kill six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey on Christmas night in her own home? Douglas was called in on the case shortly after the horrifying murder, and his conclusions are hard-hitting and controversial. Why, in the face of the majority of public, media, and law enforcement opinion, including former FBI colleagues, does Douglas believe that John and Patricia Ramsey did not murder their daughter? And what is the forensic and behavioral evidence he brings to bear to make his claim?

Taking a fresh and penetrating look at each case, the authors reexamine and reinterpret accepted facts and victimology using modern profiling and the techniques of criminal analysis developed by Douglas within the FBI. This book deconstructs the evidence and widely held beliefs surrounding each case and rebuilds them -- with fascinating and haunting results.

Download Description

America's foremost expert on criminal profiling provides his uniquely gripping analysis of eight of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime--including JonBenet Ramsey--often contradicting conventional wisdom and the courts' decisions.

Customer Reviews:

Worth buying.......2007-09-16

This book is interesting, worth buying, and informative. I liked the varied accounts of interesting well known cases. It provided insight into the Jon Benet Ramsey case, among others. I would recommend this book to anyone. John Douglas is a good author.

Exceptional!.......2007-07-12

This is one of those books that can completely change your view of events on a daily basis. It's the best of Douglas' books, and it creates order out of what had once been utter chaos. His Jack the Ripper chapter was particularly valuable. There has been so much garbage written about that case that Douglas's logical analysis was very welcome. After reading this book, I can't look at any crime the same way again, and I have also come to a different understanding of human psychology. I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and even the skeptical ones, once they started it, couldn't put it down! It made the rounds of my office, and then of my friends, and then of my friends' friends! Warning: it can be grim and horrific. The Lindbergh baby case and the JonBenet Ramsey cases in particular were painful. The authors are skilled at conveying the horrors of these crimes, yet at the same time really delving into the psyches of the criminals in an unflinching way.

Can't Put it Down!.......2007-07-09

After reading this book, I'm convinced the little Ramsey son murdered his sister. He did it out of jealousy because Patsy Ramsey lavished all her attention and love on Jonbenet. That would explain the extremely juvenile "ransom" note, the fact that Jonbenet's body was dragged instead of carried, the fact that John Ramsey's best friend turned against him after he caught him, red-handed - trying to cover up evidence, etc, etc. John and Patsy Ramsey looked guilty because they were trying to protect their son from facing the consequences of his crime.

Interesting & Analytical, but Stiff.......2007-04-08

FBI veteran John Douglas (with Mark Olshaker) takes a detailed, analytical look at several infamous crimes including Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, The Lindbergh Baby, Zodiac Killer, Joan Benet-Ramsey, etc. Only two of these crimes were solved, and even then some wondered if justice had prevailed. As an FBI agent Douglas has tracked killers via investigative techniques and personality profiling. Here he strives to establish truth without any seeming prejudices. Of course, establishing the truth in difficult cases isn't easy, and the result is many best guesses by the author. I found parts of their book to be a bit staid or long-winded, but a good investigator needs to be thorough. I particularly liked the coverage of the Lindbergh Kidnapping, where Douglas concludes that Bruno Hauptman was almost certainly guilty (he was hanged) but probably had accomplices (something the court doubted). I wasn't quite convinced in a couple other cases (like JonBenet Ramsey), but Douglas' approach remains logical and persuasive. Also, if Olshaker was not just co-author but co-investigator let's give him credit too. If you like thorough investigations and don't mind a detailed read, this book may be for you.

Murder most foul!.......2007-01-07

Jack the Ripper. Lizzie Borden. The Zodiac. Bruno Richard Hauptmann. The psycho who killed JonBenet Ramsey. Crispin Glover. O.k., that last name doesn't belong there, but the guy is so weird I thought I'd throw him in for good measure. All of these folks (except for Crispin Glover), according to former FBI profiler turned author John Douglas, share a common theme. One is murder, of course, but the other is their involvement in criminal cases that continue to haunt the public imagination. Plug in any one of the abovementioned names into a search engine and you'll understand why the authors chose "The Cases That Haunt Us" as the title of the book. On one of the most popular search engines JonBenet Ramsey brings up 780,000 returns. Jack the Ripper has over two million, Zodiac a million and a half. While not all of these links directly relate to these infamous cases, obviously, the numbers do show how these names have worked their way into the popular consciousness. And that occurred, sadly, because the crimes documented in this book are truly hideous, bone-chilling incidents of murder most foul that stand out even in a country as violent as America.

John Douglas is a familiar name to those of us who follow dastardly deeds. He once worked as one of the premier criminal profilers at the FBI. Profiling is a cutting edge psychological approach to fighting crime that attained national prominence thanks to the film "The Silence of the Lambs". It's also a lot older than the FBI. Profiling an unknown criminal in an attempt to catch him or her stretches all the way back to the 19th century. But Douglas and his ilk updated the techniques and have used them to catch many murderers. Clever killers who would never have been captured are now sitting in prison thanks to profiling. So what exactly is profiling? Well, according to this book it involves assembling every scrap of available evidence and using said evidence to assemble a mental profile of the suspect. Douglas and his colleagues then determine if the killer is "organized" or "disorganized". They can then use the profile to identify likely suspects. Many times their profile matches a person being held in another, minor case. The purpose of "The Cases That Haunt Us" is, therefore, an attempt to apply profiling to major unsolved crimes. The results are, to say the least, interesting and likely controversial.

If you believe Lizzie Borden killed her father with forty whacks, Douglas agrees with you--except for the forty whacks part. It took far fewer blows to do in Andrew Borden. But Douglas does believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lizzie killed her father and stepmother. He also comes up with a compelling suspect in the Jack the Ripper murders, although it's nothing we haven't seen in other treatments on the monster of Whitechapel. His analysis of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping endorses the view taken by history, i.e. that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty of the crime, if not its prime architect. As for the Zodiac case...well...Douglas does a great job summarizing his terrible crime spree. Coming up with a viable, living suspect is another matter entirely. He also tackles the Black Dahlia mutilation, Bambi Bembenek, and the Boston Strangler outrages. He doesn't really shed new light on these cases, at least not in my opinion, but he does do an excellent job of assembling the facts and giving us an insight or two into the twisted minds that carried out the crimes. Ahh, to have had a modern profiler back in Jack the Ripper's day!

The most controversial part of the book deals with the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. If you ever want to read about a crime that chills the blood, peruse the various accounts of this horrific killing. It's a case so bizarre in nearly every one of its aspects that solving the crime has proved insurmountable to everyone involved. That doesn't stop Douglas, who once worked as a paid advisor to John and Patsy Ramsey, from taking a crack at this mystifying incident. Those who believe the Ramseys killed their daughter will fume at Douglas's conclusions. He believes that an intruder invaded the house and murdered the young beauty queen. So do I, actually, although there's always that little part of me that suspects the parents. How else to explain the pineapple on the table, or that weird ransom note? To totally exclude the parents, one has to believe them incapable of carrying out such an evil act, and we know from the newspapers and television that such evil acts (and far worse) occur every day. We can't seem to rely on the evidence, which points to just about everyone in JonBenet's life as a possible suspect. Douglas does a great job of condensing the pertinent facts down to a few pages, but his analysis will do nothing to stop the endless speculation concerning the case that continues unabated to this day.

On the whole, I'd say "The Cases That Haunt Us" is a worthy effort. It's not going to solve any of these cases, or even bring about a seismic shift in how we view these crimes, but it is a well-written account of these nightmarish events. I would definitely recommend this book to someone just starting to read about famous crimes. Douglas's ability to summarize the evidence is masterful, always a plus when you're refreshing the old memory banks or just charting a course into the dark waters of real life murder and mayhem. If you're an old hand looking for new information on Saucy Jacky, Lizzie, and JonBenet, I'd probably look elsewhere. You have already seen everything that appears here, and you have already heard about the suspects Douglas names in these pages.

Bringing Peace Into the Room: How the Personal Qualities of the Mediator Impact the Process of Conflict Resolution

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Bringing Peace Into the Room: How the Personal Qualities of the Mediator Impact the Process of Conflict Resolution

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ASIN: 0787968501

Book Description

Bringing Peace Into the Room examines the personal qualities that make a mediator effective. The eminent authors of this volume go beyond traditional descriptions of academic training, theoretical orientation, and refinement of technique to confront issues related to personal temperament and the crucial psychological, intellectual and spiritual qualities of the mediation professionalâ qualities that are often the most potent elements of successful mediation. In this comprehensive resource, Daniel Bowling and David Hoffman bring together a stellar panel of practitioners, academics, teachers, and trainers in the fieldâ Michele LeBaron, Kenneth Cloke, Robert Benjamin, Don Saposnek, Sara Cobb, Peter Adler, Jonathan Reitman, Lois Gold, Marvin Johnson, and othersâ ?who share their personal experiences as mediators. Each contributor demonstrates that at the very heart of conflict resolution is the subtle interaction between the parties and the mediator's personal and authentic style.

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Exquisitely Cogent Primer

Two Thumbs Up For Judge Goodman's Book for New Arbitrators!

Book Fills in the Gaps Left by Arbitrator Trainings

Good Information for Experienced Arbitrators, Too

Basic Skills For The New Arbitrator

Basic Skills for the New Arbitrator, Second Edition
Allan H. Goodman
Manufacturer: Solomon Publications
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0967097320

Book Description

Basic Skills for the New Arbitrator provides a detailed overview of arbitration, from the prehearing phase through the hearing and deliberation of the award. It guides the new arbitrator through the arbitration process by answering the one hundred questions most frequently asked by new arbitrators. BASIC SKILLS FOR THE NEW ARBITRATOR has been used successfully for self-instruction and as a training manual. It is not just for new arbitrators! Experienced arbitrators and attorneys who represent clients in arbitration will find this manual extremely useful. The discussion of evidentiary concepts is especially valuable for non-attorney arbitrators, who must deal with the evidentiary vocabulary of the legal profession. You will learn to provide the necessary ethical disclosures, conduct a preliminary conference issue prehearing orders, establish a discovery schedule, resolve discovery disputes, deal with attempted delays, preside at a hearing, render an award, and avoid prejudicial conduct.

Customer Reviews:

Exquisitely Cogent Primer.......2005-04-07

Mr. Goodman's book is the finest quick primer for a new arbitrator I have ever read. For virtually anyone familiar with any type of legal procedure or mediation, the book lays out the differences specific to Arbitration. Mr. Goodman has arranged the book, so that he presents the answers to the 100 most commonly asked questions about Arbitration.

The layout that he uses is in order of the Arbitration process, and thus, the questions and answers are in "as needed" sequence. This makes the book a very useful quick reference tool on all the major topics of the process of Arbitration.

The book is very highly recommended to attorneys, mediators and other legal professionals as a very compact and explicit guide and quick reference book about the procedures of Arbitration.

Two Thumbs Up For Judge Goodman's Book for New Arbitrators!.......2001-12-09

As a new volunteer arbitrator for my local bar association, I found Judge Goodman's book to be indispensable in acquiring the skills and expertise for this new task. His experience in this field are excellent and he uses this experience in a question and answer format which lends itself to an easy, but extremely effective format, for new, as well as experienced, arbitrators. His hints and tips give new arbitrators the guidance and confidence necessary to lead an effective, but expedient, arbitration. This is the number one book for those new to arbitration, or those needing a review of arbitration methods and techniques.

Book Fills in the Gaps Left by Arbitrator Trainings.......2001-08-18

I first purchased and read Judge Goodman's Basic Skills For the New Arbitrator in 1994 when I began arbitrating. Having just finished reading the most recent edition, I am struck by the continuing usefulness of the detailed and practical advice contained in this book. While I have participated in arbitrator trainings over the years, they usually do not cover the nitty gritty "how to" issues this work addresses. These issues are easy to find as the Table of Contents is organized into sections devoted to each stage of an arbitration with an enumeration, under each heading, of all the questions addressed. Judge Goodman's style is clear and concise which makes the book a quick and easy read. It seems directed primarily at non-lawyers, but many lawyers, such as myself, will find in it their money's worth of advice. Personally, as much of my practice is devoted to mediation, I find reviewing the book helpful when I need to switch hats and assume a judicial (as opposed to a mediator's) demeanor. His advice in this regard, touching on body language, facial expression, and utterances, is invaluable in cultivating the proper persona of the neutral arbitrator. I highly recommend this thoughful, easy-to-read book to anyone who is starting to engage in arbitration and for those for whom it is not a weekly endeavor.

Good Information for Experienced Arbitrators, Too.......2000-12-24

As an experienced arbitrator, I am always looking for good information from those who actually are arbitrators. There are alot of books written by academics filled with theory and psychology, but this is a book by someone who obviously arbitrates for a living. As an arbitrator who is not an attorney, I found the information about dealing with attorneys, documents, objections and evidence quite helpful, as one can easily be intimidated by attorneys if they are involved in the process. The section on "Getting Paid" hit home. I too have had the experience of not getting paid by a party after the arbitration. The author's suggestion to hold the award until payment is received may sound harsh, but it certainly is sound business advice. The arrangement of the book as questions and answers, with the questions listed in the table of contents, makes this book easy to use as a quick reference. Definitely worth the price.

Basic Skills For The New Arbitrator.......2000-11-13

While this book provides some very good basic information, especially for a new arbitrator, some of Mr. Goodman's ideas are radically different from the practice of most main stream arbitrators. Certainly the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and the American Arbitration Association would disagree with Mr. Goodman's statement that "No reasons are given for the award" when a decision is rendered. I personally do not know any arbitrator who does not clearly state the basis for a decision/award. Also, it is not common practice, and certainly not good advice for a novice, to hold the rendered decision hostage until payment for the arbitration service is received. The author is addressing "basic skills" for new arbitrators and could mislead them in these and other opinions stated in this book which, incidentally, I believe is over-priced for its size and paper bound format.

Average customer rating:

Great Introductory Text
A Welcome Addition to My Library
God is in the details, and vice versa
Couldn't Be Better
Recommended for beginners and experienced mediators alike

Mediator's Handbook
Jennifer E. Beer , and Eileen Stief
Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865713596

Book Description

The Mediator's Handbook provides a time-tested, flexible model for effective mediation in diverse environments and situations. Completely revised, this new, expanded edition provides a clear overview of mediation and conflict; a large "Toolbox" section that details the skills and approaches used by professional mediators; and a final section that looks at informal mediation. A valuable resource for all working in corporations, government agencies, community organizations and schools.

Customer Reviews:

Great Introductory Text.......2007-06-25

This was used as a course textbook in an introductory ADR class, and I think it serves that purpose well. A great book for those new to ADR and mediation that clearly outlines the purpose and procedures of mediation. This text does not really discuss the psychological motivations behind party behavior except for briefly touching on cultural patterns. The focus is on the process.

The topics are dealt with step-by-step, and while the illustrations aren't necessary, especially for university-level courses or professionals, this is still a great textbook that adequately covers the role of the mediator and all the steps in mediation as well as tips for how to move the process along and recognize problems.

A Welcome Addition to My Library.......2002-02-04

I am a mediator, arbitrator, and trainer. The Mediator's Handbook is a welcome addition to my library. It is filled with practical advice,theoretical information, wonderful charts, and the nuts and bolts of mediation. I am sure every mediator, new or experienced, will benefit from this book. I recommend that every mediator skim the "Mediator's Handbook" as well as "Basic Skills for the New Mediator" by Allan H. Goodman (which I purchased at the same time) before every mediation.

God is in the details, and vice versa.......2001-09-04

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has received lots of attention over the last decade or so, and I'd like it to receive more. Here's a good place to start.

As an [ahem] older law student, I recently signed up to participate in a mediation program through a local courthouse. As I looked around for helpful references, my eye fell naturally on this modern classic by Jennifer Beer. Continuously in print since 1982 and now in its third edition, it's probably _the_ book that did most to teach the American public how to "do" mediation.

It's full of nuts-and-bolts advice on everything from what to say to where to put the chairs. And it's got something some other mediation books lack: a sense of the "spirituality" of mediation.

For the techniques in this volume grew out of the Friends Conflict Resolution Programs (FCRP). And the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers") is pretty good at conflict resolution.

(It's those "meetings." Some readers may know that in the early days of the United States, a half-century of so before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Friends unilaterally, voluntarily, and unanimously freed every last one of their slaves -- and paid them to boot, if I'm not mistaken. And anybody who has ever attended a Quaker meeting will understand why, even if they've never heard of John Woolman.)

I've got quite a few Quakers in my family tree, so I'm pleased by this approach. But it's very understated and mostly behind the scenes, so the casual reader will notice only that the book has a certain mood or tone.

What's really going on is that the mediation advice herein is implicitly predicated on the presumption that people are competent to settle their own disputes because each of them has "that of God" within. And the extraordinary sensitivity of the advice is based firmly on Quaker sensibilities: namely, respect for the individual conscience as the very voice of God, and a profound belief in the power of _listening_ both to others and to oneself.

The result is a book of advice on mediation that looks an awful lot like a book on how to grasp the "sense of a meeting." Even beyond the nuts and bolts, the "flavor" of the book will itself help the reader get a feel for what mediation is all about. That's a nice feature in a book on ADR, and it's no wonder Beer's book has been in print for so long.

Allan Goodman's _Basic Skills for the New Mediator_ is a good companion volume, by the way. His book is more aimed at people who do mediation in "courtlike" settings, whereas Beer's is for pretty much any context (including workplace and family, both of which she discusses). The two together are a powerful combination of resources, arguably surpassing many more expensive books on the subject.

And for a good history of the subject of ADR, see Linda Singer's _Settling Disputes_, which I've also reviewed.

Couldn't Be Better.......2000-11-12

As a mediator and one who trains others how to mediate, I highly recommend this clearly written,comprehensive mediation handbook. I have yet to see a more practical book on mediation skills.

Recommended for beginners and experienced mediators alike.......1999-07-25

As a trainer of community mediators, I am often asked to suggest books on the subject. One book I definitely recommend is Jennifer Beer's Mediator's Handbook -- and it is also a book I often go back to myself. It's like having a smart, experienced and helpful colleague available whenever I want, whether for specific problem solving or for more general inspirational conversation!

The Handbook of Family Dispute Resolution: Mediation Theory and Practice (The Jossey-Bass Library of Conflict Resolution)

Average customer rating:

A Nice Springboard for Discussion in Class

The Handbook of Family Dispute Resolution: Mediation Theory and Practice (The Jossey-Bass Library of Conflict Resolution)
Alison Taylor
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Mediator's Handbook

ASIN: 0787956392

Book Description

No matter your profession (attorney, clinician, family therapist) or skill level (seasoned professional or novice), The Handbook of Family Dispute Resolution is an invaluable resource that outlines the most effective mediation approaches, techniques, and skills. The Handbook of Family Dispute Resolution is a practical and comprehensive guide that includes

A review of professional ethics and standards
Help for attorneys who are not trained in the skills needed for working with families
Information about cultural issues that affect families during mediation
Highlights of key legal and negotiation skills
Guidelines for understanding complex family dynamics and conflicts
A screening tool for evaluating domestic violence
A matrix for starting discussions of parenting plans based on children's needs
An examination of specialized practices for family mediation
Direction for assessing one's professional approach to family mediation

Customer Reviews:

A Nice Springboard for Discussion in Class.......2007-06-01

This is a terrific reference and a springboard for discussion in class, but as far as books go, it's nothing so terrific that would turn me on to mediation if I were in a book store flipping through books for something to read.

The book is easy to read and follow as far as topics are concerned and if you need to look something up, topics are easy to find and outline.

The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power

Average customer rating:

a must read for these times
A seductive message, and yet it is wrong...
The perfect mix of analysis, narrative and good writing
War is the last stage of diplomacy but small wars come first
A good overview...

The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
Max Boot
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Small Wars Manual
For the Common Defense

ASIN: 046500721X
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

Whether fought for commercial or strategic concessions or even moral reasons, whether little-known or well-publicized, America's "small wars"--against, say, the Barbary pirates and the rebellious Boxers--played a large part in the development of what historian Max Boot does not hesitate to call an American empire. All arguments to the contrary, Boot insists, America has never been an isolationist power; it has "been involved in other countries' internal affairs since at least 1805," when American marines landed on the shores of Tripoli, and it has "never confined the use of force to those situations that meet the narrow definition of American interests preferred by realpolitikers and isolationists." Closely examining the record of those small wars, which far outnumber major conflicts, Boot argues that Americans have a historic duty to deliver foreign nations from aggression, even to intervene in civil wars abroad, especially if the product is greater freedom--for, he writes, "a world of liberal democracies would be a world much more amenable to American interests than any conceivable alternative." Readers may take issue with some of Boot's conclusions, but they merit wide discussion, especially in a time when small--and perhaps large--wars are looming. Boot's book is thus timely, and most instructive. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Reviewed and debated everywhere, this book has become a key volume in the case for a new policy of interventionism.

America's "small wars," "imperial wars," or, as the Pentagon now terms them, "low-intensity conflicts," have played an essential but little-appreciated role in its growth as a world power. Beginning with Jefferson's expedition against the Barbary Pirates, Max Boot tells the exciting stories of our sometimes minor but often bloody landings in Samoa, the Philippines, China, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Russia, and elsewhere. Along the way he sketches colorful portraits of little-known military heroes such as Stephen Decatur, "Fighting Fred" Funston, and Smedley Butler.

From 1800 to the present day, such undeclared wars have made up the vast majority of our military engagements. Yet the military has often resisted preparing itself for small wars, preferring instead to train for big conflicts that seldom come. Boot re-examines the tragedy of Vietnam through a "small war" prism. He concludes with a devastating critique of the Powell Doctrine and a convincing argument that the armed forces must reorient themselves to better handle small-war missions, because such clashes are an inevitable result of America's far-flung imperial responsibilities.

Customer Reviews:

a must read for these times.......2007-09-28

One of the best books I have read about our (USA) involvement in a surprising amount of insurections and affairs that required more than the State Departments attention.

A seductive message, and yet it is wrong..........2007-07-29

I first read this book several years back, as a young Sergeant. When I first read it, the book seemed to make a lot of good points, and its logic seemed almost ironclad. After having gotten a bit older and a bit wiser, and having been taught at least a few formal critical thinking techniques, I now believe that Mr. Boot's book is pretty much wrong from cover to cover. He basically tells us how great and wonderful our military interventions have been to the world (and to our security), but when you start to look more deeply at his examples (Philipines, Haiti, etcetera) you start to believe that the truth is a lot more complex than he makes it seem.

I am no pacifist, and in many cases our intervention may truely have been unavoidable or have improved things, but the case he makes is almost entirely one sided. Look no further than his analysis of Smedley Butler's change of heart. *sarcasm* Obviously the man simply didn't see "the big picture". After all, a General with decades of experience in the very campaigns Boot cheerleads couldn't possibly be at least somewhat right in his criticisms. */end sarcasm*

I give it two stars because Mr. Boot is a good writer, and he knows how to make his argument seem irrefutable, even when they are very debatable. Just my 2 cents.

The perfect mix of analysis, narrative and good writing.......2007-06-18

The more history I read, the more I admire historians. Writing good history is not easy. You can be overly academic and the book becomes dry and boring, or if one just strings together interesting stories the book lacks intellectual weight.

The Savage Wars of Peace hits the mark. It finds new ways to tell old stories in a new light. Most military history focuses on the big wars and big battles (think D-day and Gettysburg). Many prominent historians have made careers stating the American way of war is based on mass and attrition.

Max Boot takes a different angle. Those "small wars" that pop up in-between the big wars are just as vital to U.S. military history as the big wars. As America looks toward the future of warfare it is looking less like Battle of the Bulge and more like numerous occupations of Haiti. The book carefully moves though American's small wars and demonstrates how similar they are and how regular, irregular warfare really is. The book is very pro-Marine Corps, but they are the ones who fought most of America's small wars and published the now famous "Small Wars Manual" in the late 1930s.

The book was written before the U.S. intervention into Iraq, but it does predict many of its problems. The first half of the book is stronger than the last half, and the last chapter sort of rambles, but it is by far the best military history book I have read this year. Well worth your time.

War is the last stage of diplomacy but small wars come first.......2007-04-23

When I first grabbed Boot's book, I was dreading yet another look at conflicts and was stopped at the first page. Boot's knowledge and depth in the small intensity conflicts of the US from Tripoli to the Banana wars of the 80's, is quite astonishing. Having been an avid reader of military history literature, I was caught surprised to learn something new at nearly every page.

I would offer that most readers need to have a good understanding of the main (or popular) opinion of the times the various events Boot refers to occur. This will help to expand the understanding gained by the reader. However, anyone with an interest in the lesser known acts of "diplomacy" engaged by the US government is well advised to add this book to thier collection.

I did find a certain sense of bias toward the Marine Corps (given that the USMC's focus has been predominantly centered on low-intensity conflicts, this is almost unavoidable). Still, being a former Marine, the read was quite motivational as well.

Given the topics of todays counterinsurgency (COIN) activites, this book will add depth and clarity to small unit leaders as well as policy-makers into the challenges the US faces in the near future. Like it has been said time and again, a firm understanding in the past will shed enlightenment of the future.

A must read.

While not supporting or defending the tactics of guerrilla forces of the past, to gain a first-hand dimension of COIN, consider reading Moshe Dayan: Story of my life. Its a bit older and obviously bias toward what may be considered unpopular (or even deploarable) actions of a nation in engaging in diplommatic conflict, but worth the read nontheless.

A good overview..........2007-02-07

Max Boot's book does a service in covering some lesser known aspects of US military history. The general history of small scale landings/naval activity to protect American citizens and trade is well known to many but some of the more obscure events like unofficial American attempts to control some western Pacific islands make interesting reading. This book covers events from the time of national birth to post Gulf War I.

Mr. Boot's writing style does not bore a reader but gives sufficent detail to elevate the book above a popular history. Especially enlightening are the chapters on the history of US military presense in China, the successful(during the actual occupations)efforts in the Caribbean and Central America and the Philipines.

The ending chapter on the lasting effects of these efforts and the likelihood of future efforts is maybe even more interesting. Agree or not with him, Mr Boot lays out some good arguments for most of these efforts to have been beneficial to both the Americans and the localities concerned. His points on Vietnam while not new, are concise and quite valid. The chapter dealing with the myths concerning US military incursions such as "need for exit strategies", "need for declarations of war", etc are excellent. His points on the current emphasis on force protection/casuality minimization are thought provoking also.

My problems with the book were actually minor. This book is unabashedly pro USMC, given the fact that a majority of the small actions were Marine not Army, this makes sense but to a retired Army infantryman...well its annoying (sorry)

One excellent and overriding point he makes however is this. The Armed Forces have overwhelmingly succeeded in their missions if allowed to do so, generally only homefront political interference, not their erstwhile enemies caused failure. With Iraq raging and an almost as hot a war being waged on the home front on the issue, history might be worth looking at.

Conflict Diagnosis and Alternative Dispute Resolution

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Conflict Diagnosis and Alternative Dispute Resolution
Laurie S. Coltri
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Filling a void in the market, Conflict Diagnosis, Brief Edition uses the innovation of the Conflict Diagnosis concept to provide an in-depth appreciation of ADR processes. The survey takes both a true sociological perspective on the interdisciplinary topic of alternative disputes and prefaces these descriptions with an in-depth exploration of the theoretical and empirical basis for understanding their uses, misuses, indications and counterindications to provide readers with a thorough and complete approach to understanding, evaluating and developing strategies and tactics to address interpersonal conflict. The survey addresses basic definitions, dispute resolution processes, preconceptions about conflict and how they short change us, conflict diagnosis, the nine steps of conflict diagnosis, alternative dispute resolution processes, using conflict diagnosis to manage legal disputes and select ADR processes. For human resources personnel, dispute resolution system designers, trainers and ombuds, as well as ADR neutrals and neutrals-in-training.

Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries

Average customer rating:

Superb book - you can't put it down.
arafat and my hot flashes
Worth reading with some caveats for the uninformed reader
Our hope for peace? We're in trouble
Life OVER the Occupation

Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries
Suad Amiry
Manufacturer: Pantheon
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375423796
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Book Description

“Perhaps one day I may forgive you for putting
us under curfew for forty-two days, but I will never forgive you for making us live with my mother-
in-law for what seemed, then, more like
forty-two years.”

Irreverent, darkly funny, unexpected, and very unlike any other writing on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Sharon and My Mother-in-Law describes Palestinian architect Suad Amiry’s experience of living in the Occupied Territories.

Based on diaries and e-mail correspondence that Amiry kept to maintain her sanity from 1981 to 2004, the book evokes, through a series of vignettes, the frustrations, cabin fever, and downright misery of daily life in the West Bank town of Ramallah, with its curfews, roadblocks, house-to-house searches, and violence. Amiry writes about the enormous difficulty of moving from one place to another, the torture of falling in love with someone from another town, the absurdity of her dog receiving a Jerusalem identity card when thousands of Palestinians could not do so, and the impossibility of acquiring a gas mask from the Israeli Civil Administration during the first Gulf War in 1991. There are also the challenges of shopping during curfew breaks, the trials of having her ninety-two-year-old mother-in-law living in her house during a forty-two-day curfew, and thoughts on Israel’s Separation Wall.

With a wickedly sharp ear for dialogue and a keen eye for the most telling details, Amiry gives us an original, ironic, and firsthand glimpse into the absurdity——and agony——of life in the Occupied Territories.

Customer Reviews:

Superb book - you can't put it down........2007-07-04

I read this book within a day, I just couldn't put it down, it was so beautifully written, and so easy to read.
Suad Amiry has a remarkable ability to say in one sentence what other writers take three pages over. A single sentence can be so thought-provoking, you consider all the many implications that follow from just one statement.
Despite the misery of her situation, Suad's defiance of her occupiers is hilarious - what a courageous and spunky woman! Her frankness and honesty of her own feelings, including her failings, are also very impressive.
Well done to Suad Amiry, I eagerly look forward to her next book - I hope she will write one!

arafat and my hot flashes.......2006-12-26

Arafat and my hot flashes - an Israeli response to Suad Amiry's Sharon and my Mother-in-Law.

After reading Suad Amiry's novel Sharon and my mother in law I was extremely moved ... as an Israeli, living in Tel-Aviv at ta time when all around me people were "bursting at the Seams" or merely committing suicide at their leisure while taking other people's lives, limbs, children and women with them, I could identify myself with her agony at not being able to move freely...

It was Saturday eve; I always felt weird on Saturday eve, uneasy. On a verge of a panic attack. Maybe it was to do with the gloom I experienced at home, as a child on Sat. eve (My mother was a BA -graduate of Auschwitz). It was exactly 2 years ago, me and my not-such-a-great-hero, husband, who was an extremely gifted and intelligent man but the biggest coward if there's ever was one, were having a row, after a long week ... I wanted to venture out. Out of doors...out of our building; living in Tel Aviv had become a Russian roulette ... the streets were very quiet and empty ... not a dog in sight, the stray cats had totally disappeared, everyone was waiting for the next one, and we didn't know where it would come from. I wanted to go to the movies.
"Are you out of your mind?!!!" Gideon screamed. I couldn't sit at home anymore I had to go out. To a coffee place, "A coffee place?!!! Now?!!" Only yesterday one of the most popular coffee places in Tel Aviv blew up.
"Ok then, the bar around the corner is always empty! Why would a suicide bomber come there, to kill us and the barman?". I thought that was reasonable enough.
"I don't know why?" argued Gideon back "he might just get fed up half way to the Hilton, did you think about that?".
I tried the movies, again.
"Crowded places?!!! Hello? Anybody home?", pointing at my head.
"but we never had a suicider at the cinema!!", I tried to reason.
"Exactly!!!", exclaimed Gideon with a big smile, winning the argument.

I felt a hot flash coming on. It was August and I just had to have some air. "I don't care!!!", I screamed, "I am going out!!! Now!"

All of a sudden a siren was heard, and another one and another one, a string of sirens always meant a suicide bomber, and the ambulances were rushing to the scene. We looked at each other with terror and turned on the TV. There was a suicide bomber at Michael's Pub, a few minutes away from us. It was my son's favorite hang out; thank God he had been living in Holland for the last few years. He didn't even come home for a visit; I wouldn't let him, my only son...

Gideon, quickly rushed to the phone to ring his three children (from his 2 ex wives) they were all in their twenties ... that was his usual routine, every time a bomber hit the town. Then he would take his clooney (Cloonex - a tranquilizer) I was always angry when he took it, being a practitioner of Chinese medicine, it was totally against my principals. But he couldn't care less. He was slowly becoming addicted to clooney.

We stayed at home glued to the TV watching the horrible scenes of children, women, blood, screaming, etc etc. Gideon began his usual snores beside me, the clooney had knocked him out!

The next day we heard on the news that Palestinians were under curfew ....

There are always three sides to every divorce: the wife, the husband and the truth...

We are having a terrible, endless bloody row: it's time to stop talking about the past. I would expect an educated person like Suad not to live in the past, but to accept our existence in Israel and to start talking from that point. We have no where else to go, and the experience of living as a Jew outside Israel has not been very successful ... I could attach a picture of my mother's green number tattooed on her arm, she is only 74, she was 12 when they took her to the camps, one of the last survivors in the world ... Tell me Suad, the truth: this is not about the occupied territories. Barak begged Arafat to take it back. This is about Jaffa...according to your book. Do you expect my mother to go back to Czechoslovakia? And look for her confiscated home? And what about me? I was born here, am I to take a dive in the sea?

Yours sincerely,

Yael Stern O'Dwyer

Worth reading with some caveats for the uninformed reader.......2006-09-16

I enjoyed reading this book but was chilled at the author's inclusion of "1929" as a year of Palestinian "pride" without mention of the atrocities of the Hebron pogroms. "Text without context is pretext" as the PLO's old friend Jesse Jackson used to remind us. Tom Segev's One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate (which alot of Amazon reviewers think has an anti-Zionist bias) would be a good corrective for the reader new to these issues.

Amiry is not a fanatic or a fundamentalist and this is her P.O.V. and her life. Can she address the moral failures of the Palestinian leadership, beginning with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and ending in Hamas? Maybe, but this is not that book.

Our hope for peace? We're in trouble.......2006-09-03

I picked up this book at Ben-Gurion airport at a time when I could have used an uncommonly witty look at life under the Occupation, but alas, I found nothing witty or uncommon about Suad Amiry's wonderfully named but lazily written screed -- and if you are a thinking person, you'll find nothing funny about her bigotry.

Some parts rattled me, but it wasn't her so-called reportage, which anyone familiar with the region will recognize as the usual embroidering. I am not saying that life under occupation is not difficult and sometimes brutal. However, my editor's antenna went up more than once. Naturally, Amiry's stories are impossible to verify.

No, it was her attitude throughout the book that unnerved me. For instance, Amiry dismisses out-of-hand the very public military inquiry into reports of looting by Israeli soldiers. And yet she cheerleads without shame for Palestinian thievery, and even opines that Palestinians aren't stealing enough from Jews.

And the child-free Amiry treats us to a charming vignette, her tacit approval ringing loud and clear, of Arab mothers warning their mischievous children: "Behave or the Israeli soldiers will shoot you."

Interestingly, on my flight to Israel, just in time for the Israel-Hizbollah war, I read Amos Oz's new book, an essay, really, called "How to Cure a Fanatic." And one of his cures is humor. If you can laugh at yourself, you are in no danger of becoming a fanatic. Sadly, Amiry can make fun of her neighbors and relatives, and she can indulge in the most racist of rants against Jews, knowing someone will find them funny. But she cannot laugh at herself. I suppose we should be grateful that she left out the hilarious phenomenon of suicide bombers.

In the end, I pitied Amiry -- an obviously unstable middle-aged woman who I suspect would have been unstable even if she had stayed in her native Jordan. If the Israeli occupation hadn't driven her to distraction, something else most assuredly would have. But if you can blame the Occupation for your woes, so much the better. How good and pleasant it is to be a victim. How little responsibility you bear.

Life OVER the Occupation.......2006-07-09

Suad Amiry's book is very witty and easy to read. The book is based on a compilation of emails, letters and Amiry's recollection of the various events. Amiry offers a portrayal of life of a relatively well off Palestinian family under Israeli occupation. The Israeli occupation and the siege of their city feature prominently in the book but almost as natural disasters or "Act of God" ..so they are there thrown into the mix making ordinary complex life even more complicated. The politics of the occupation are touched upon but clearly what is central is just the day to day life.

The title of the book is very much a reflection of the light hearted style of the book but also of the very menacing undertones. In the United States Sharon largely has(d) the reputation of being a tough minded and determined leader and with the Gaza withdrawal in 2005 as a peacemaker; whereas in most of the world outside of the US Sharon is seen as a ruthless cruel man responsible for the death and destruction of many who was sanctioned by his own country and was even wanted for trial on war crime charges in Europe. For the Palestinians I imagine Sharon had simply been a brutal merciless monster; the title Sharon & My Mother in Law with that background is therefore very ironic! A daughter - mother in law relationship in a middle eastern environment is never straight forward ..the very words mother in law carry a whole world of conations. The very title of the book comes across funny to any Middle Eastern; equating or even putting Sharon & mother in law in the same sentence carries with the wit and the determination that comes across in Amiry's words.

Many reviewers of this book talked about the book illustrating the humanity of the Palestinians, I doubt if that has been on Amiry's mind; for those who doubt the humanity of the Palestinians better read John Grisham or watch Pirates of the Caribbean; this book celebrates the humanity of the Palestinians and the triumph of their spirit.

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