Reviews
"The Paradox of Peaceis an excellent and long-needed piece of scholarship, filling a critical void in our thinking about international conflict and cooperation. In this wonderfully written, beautifully argued volume, John Orme skillfully encourages the reader to examine a vitally important question: Why does peace occur, or fail to? Hope, he demonstrates in nine closely examined case studies, is an enemy of peace, while 'conciliation from strength' has historically proven productive to peaceful outcomes. This provocative argument suggests the wrong-headedness of much of our conventional wisdom and encourages a fundamental rethinking of our strategies for peace-making."--Edward Rhodes, Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Rutgers University "The Paradox of Peaceis a unique and outstanding contribution. By studying the origins of peace Orme presents a valuable and overdue contribution to our understanding of international relations, with a focus on the important role leaders play. This impressive book draws on nine detailed and readable cases of international rivalries and will generate debate among scholars and students. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the origins of peace."--Patrick J. Haney, Miami University "Written to be accessible to students and the general public, with nine case studies ranging from 19th-century Europe to the contemporary conflict between India and Pakistan, it will be of interest to scholars of conflict resolution as well. While the cases display a diversity of time and place, they lend convincing support to Orme's larger argument: that what he calls Micawberism (optimism, often misplaced, about a country's future prospects) is often the greatest enemy of peacemaking, and pessimism its greatest friend."--Dr. Steve Schwark, Director of International Studies University of Illinois at Springfield, " The Paradox of Peace is an excellent and long-needed piece of scholarship, filling a critical void in our thinking about international conflict and cooperation. In this wonderfully written, beautifully argued volume, John Orme skillfully encourages the reader to examine a vitally important question: Why does peace occur, or fail to? Hope, he demonstrates in nine closely examined case studies, is an enemy of peace, while 'conciliation from strength' has historically proven productive to peaceful outcomes. This provocative argument suggests the wrong-headedness of much of our conventional wisdom and encourages a fundamental rethinking of our strategies for peace-making."--Edward Rhodes, Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Rutgers University " The Paradox of Peace is a unique and outstanding contribution. By studying the origins of peace Orme presents a valuable and overdue contribution to our understanding of international relations, with a focus on the important role leaders play. This impressive book draws on nine detailed and readable cases of international rivalries and will generate debate among scholars and students. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in the origins of peace."--Patrick J. Haney, Miami University "Written to be accessible to students and the general public, with nine case studies ranging from 19th-century Europe to the contemporary conflict between India and Pakistan, it will be of interest to scholars of conflict resolution as well. While the cases display a diversity of time and place, they lend convincing support to Orme's larger argument: that what he calls Micawberism (optimism, often misplaced, about a country's future prospects) is often the greatest enemy of peacemaking, and pessimism its greatest friend."--Dr. Steve Schwark, Director of International Studies University of Illinois at Springfield
Table of Content
Introduction * Power, Pessimism and Peace * Austria & Germany, 1848-1871 * The United States & Britain, 1895-1905 * Britain & France, 1882-1904 * Indonesia & Malaysia, 1963-1966 * West Germany & the Soviet Union, 1955-1971 * Egypt & Israel, 1948-1978 * Russia & Austria, 1879-1914 * Greece, Turkey & Cyprus, 1960- * India & Pakistan, 1947- * Circumstances and Statesmanship
