Journal of Peace Research

http://jpr.sagepub.com Book Notes

Arne Strand Journal of Peace Research 2003; 40; 613 DOI: 10.1177/00223433030405016 The online version of this article can be found at: http://jpr.sagepub.com

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BOOK NOTES
and Herzegovina is also useful. Media professionals in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia are often accused of having replaced journalistic ethics and professional standards with patriotic journalism when lying for the homeland. However, the author carefully avoids such negative stereotyping and gives generous credit to the many media outlets and journalists in all parts the region who continued to defend their professional and personal integrity, even at the highest personal costs. The many tricks of government control over the media, ranging from political and legal oppression and economical strangulation to technical hindrances, are well documented. So also are the good and bad examples of international support to local media. Therefore, the book is recommended to anybody who wants a combination of interesting close-ups and a general overview of the diverse Balkan media reality. Ivar Evensmo
Mallick, Krishna & Doris Hunter, eds, 2002. An Anthology of Nonviolence: Historical and Contemporary Voices. Westport, CT: Greenwood. xxiv + 302 pp. ISBN 0313318794.

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rest of the book, concentrates on the ethical side of nonviolence, but contains some sources unrelated to nonviolence, while omitting classics by the likes of Gandhi and Gene Sharp, who are represented in the collection. Much more contextual material is needed to tie this together into a cohesive package. Brian Martin
Nafziger, E. Wayne & Raimo Vyrynen, eds, 2002. The Prevention of Humanitarian Emergencies. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. 342 pp. ISBN 0333964381.

The ethical, individual approach to nonviolence predominates in this somewhat eclectic collection of readings. Several historical sources of nonviolence are represented, such as the Bhagavad Gita, but with little indication of how their inuence has operated in practice. Next are well-known historical voices of nonviolence Thoreau, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. followed by contemporary voices of nonviolence the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and Nelson Mandela. The section on contemporary issues covers worthy topics, from animal liberation to ecofeminism, but strangely has no explicit discussion of nonviolence in any of them. The nal section, application of nonviolence, includes some case studies, such as the 1989 Chinese prodemocracy movement. This volume could be useful as a reader in a class designed to sensitize students to personal ethical choices concerning violence and nonviolence, but on its own, it gives an inadequate picture of nonviolence as an idea and a practice. The relatively brief introduction to the volume concentrates on an ethical, individual orientation, while few of the selections themselves are given much context aside from blurbs about the authors. The result is breadth at the expense of focus. The bibliography, like the

The editors are concerned about the increase in the number of humanitarian crises and social conicts occurring in countries and regions that have experienced long-term economic and social crisis, where violence has become the dominant medium of politics. They fear a further escalation, unless preventative corrective measures are introduced as a matter of urgency. Labelling man-made disasters as complex humanitarian emergencies (CHE), they aim to explore ways to prevent these by addressing root causes rather than coping with the results, including unnecessary suffering and economic losses. Through a number of contributions, three different types of strategies are discussed: international and domestic economic responses (the latter including economic reforms and environmental protection), and governmental and nongovernmental strategies, including military responses. The editors argue that the most effective approach to prevention is to address the domestic causes of CHEs through socioeconomic development, environmental protection, addressing low income and land inequality, securing usufruct and property rights, introducing tax reforms and nancing social services. Moreover, it is necessary to establish inclusive and participatory political systems and accountable public administration and political institutions. However, they argue, doing so requires joint attention of developing countries and international agencies, to enable early and longerterm preventive interventions and, ultimately, development of a culture of prevention. Acknowledging that the causes of CHEs are multiple and complex, the editors reasonably conclude that there is no panacea to the problem, but rather prescribe learning from trial and error. While that sounds reasonable, the book could

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jour nal of P E A C E R E S E A RC H
have beneted from more focused contributions and attempts to formulate new thinking on how to overcome obstacles to a culture of prevention. Arne Strand
Ramet, Sabrina P., 2002. Balkan Babel: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia from the Death of Tito to the Fall of Milosevic, 4th edn. Boulder, CO & Oxford: Westview. 426 pp. ISBN 0813339057 (paperback).

volume 40 / number 5 / september 2003

1970s, attracted political support in the 1980s (Palme Commission, Gorbachev, political parties in NATO) and lost much attention after the Cold War (though important works still appeared), their claim to be able to alleviate the security dilemma in the Cold War having lost relevance. Wiseman discusses varieties of the concept and their theoretical underpinnings, describes precursors and critically analyses ve cases. The rise was in Western Europe in the 1980s and Gorbachevs New Thinking; the decline is exemplied by Europe after the Cold War, the Gulf War and the Asia-Pacic region. Wiseman systematically reviews what claims the ideas made; what (explicit or implicit) assumptions they made about history, the international system, causes of war, the nature of states and technology; and with what degree of coherence and persuasiveness, including adaptation to new conditions, they were communicated. The focus is precisely analytical, not on the history of ideas or on wider types of alternative defence. The examination combines impressive erudition, systematic and coherent work, perceptive analytical distinctions and a broad understanding of relevant background factors. The nal chapter, Lessons for the future, draws the lines together on strengths and weaknesses of various ideas and concludes that even after the post-1989 challenges, the idea is far from dead and has much to contribute, at least as a complement, to deterring, conducting and settling wars. For those looking for a lucid and critical compendium on the state of the art of non-provocative defence, this is it. Hkan Wiberg Authors of Book Notes in this issue: Pavel Baev PRIO Asbjrn Eide Norwegian Institute of Human Rights Stein Sundstl Eriksen Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Ivar Evensmo PRIO Nic Marsh PRIO Brian Martin University of Wollongong Kari M. Osland Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Sven Gunnar Simonsen PRIO Arne Strand Chr. Michelsen Institute Pinar Tank PRIO Hkan Wiberg Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen

This fourth and extended edition of Balkan Babel concerns the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the years between 1980 and 2000. The title refers to the Tower of Babel: like the story of Babel, the story of Yugoslavia may be read as one of failure of cooperation (pp. 34). The reason for this failure is, according to Ramet, that the state and its holders suffered from a consistent lack of legitimacy. This is also the central argument of the book. Part one looks at the period of disintegration (198091); part two focuses on religion and culture and their link to the erosion of legitimacy; and part three concerns war and transition, with a special focus on Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia. This part also looks at the repercussions of the war on religious matters, gender relations and culture. The fourth part discusses the legitimacy of the peace accords; and finally come the epilogue and an anti-bibliography. The epilogue reaffirms the importance of legitimacy by claiming that legitimation is the central problem of politics (p. 375). In the antibibliography, Ramet reviews the reviews over scholarly material on the conflict. Although the anti-bibliography is interesting and important, that debate might have been better started elsewhere. Here, it risks distracting the readers focus from the text. Balkan Babel is excellently written by one of the leading scholars in the field; it holds a convincing argument and is clearly based on years of thorough research. I strongly recommend it to all those seeking to understand the disintegration of former Yugoslavia. Kari M. Osland

Wiseman, Geoffrey, 2002. Concepts of NonProvocative Defence: Ideas and Practices in International Security. Basingstoke: Palgrave (St. Antonys Series). x + 293 pp. ISBN 0333790251. Ideas on non-provocative (or non-offensive or defensive, etc.) defence were developed from the

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