Winning the Peace: An American Strategy for Post-Conflict Reconstruction

By: Marguerite Roza

Events in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans have proved that failed and defeated states threaten the national security interests of the United States and the stability of entire regions. But success in addressing these threats clearly depends on more than military might; the post-conflict period is equally crucial. Case studies in this book examine the U.S. approach in Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The book offers policy guidance on how to handle current reconstruction challenges and on building capacity to do a better job when America is inevitably called on to restore failed nations in the future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892064447
• ISBN13: 9780892064441
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Center for Strategic & International Studies
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good for the expert and the interested reader

This collection establishes a framework to review past efforts at post-conflict reconstruction (a subset of the work of nation-building). More importantly, it seeks to draw from an array of experiences to offer guidelines, or at least guideposts, on what to do in Iraq. Start at the back. In tabular form, Appendix 1 lays out the four primary areas to be addressed in post-conflict reconstruction: security, governance and political participation, social and economic well-being, and justice and reconciliation. It identifies the goals and tasks in each of these areas over time: initial response, transformation, and fostering sustainability. The case studies are Japan, Kosovo, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. Germany and Bosnia are glaring omissions, although each is referred to throughout. Unlike many collections, this one has a thorough index. This is an insightful guide to the individual cases, the cases in comparative perspective, and the challenges ahead in Iraq. I will assign it in appropriate undergraduate courses. Also, compare this book with a similar one by Dobbins et al., America's Role in Nation-Building (RAND, 2003).