Description:
In contemporary armed conflicts, youth are often on the frontlines of combat and, after peace accords are signed, they are both potential threats to peace and significant peace-building resources. Troublemakers or Peacemakers? breaks new ground by exploring youth actions, perceptions, and needs as central components of the challenge of post-war peace building. The contributors develop theory and policy recommendations based on field research in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Guatemala, Colombia, Angola, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Israel-Palestine.
Brief description:
Siobhán McEvoy-Levy is assistant professor of political science at Butler University.
Review Quotes:
"This is an excellent compendium of research on largely micro-efforts at peace building aimed at youth, set in the context of country conflicts that remained violent and unjust after the conclusion of peace accords. The articles provide the context of conflicts in Guatemala, Colombia, Rwanda, Angola, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Palestine, and Israel. A few provocative thematic essays summarize the state of the literature on peace building, introducing the book's important and under-studied focus on youth, and arguing that youth can make or break sustainable peace efforts." --Political Science Quarterly