Third parties such as the United States, NATO and the United Nations have a "critical role" to play in nurturing peace and helping to implement peace settlements, the authors say. Crocker and Hampson discuss the problems encountered by third-party interventions in Somalia, Cyprus, and Bosnia; they outline five "operational and strategic rules" regarding the implementation of peace settlements.

Dixon, William J. THIRD-PARTY TECHNIQUES FOR PREVENTING CONFLICT ESCALATION AND PROMOTING PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT (International Organization, no. 4, Autumn 1996, pp. 653-681)

The two most constructive techniques used by third parties in managing international crises are mediation efforts and activities to open and maintain lines of communication, Dixon says. Crisis management methods that have proven historically effective in a bipolar world, he notes, should prove similarly successful for achieving peaceful settlements in a post-Cold War world.

McFerson, Hazel M. RETHINKING OF ETHNIC CONFLICT, SOMALIA AND FIJI (American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 40, no. 1, September 1996, pp. 18-32)

Using Somalia and Fiji as examples, McFerson challenges the view that violent conflict is "invariably associated with ethnic pluralism." In Somalia, she notes, a culture of conflict has persisted despite the common ethnicity of the Somali clans and subclans. In Fiji, on the other hand, a culture of avoidance has held down violent confrontation although severe tensions exist between ethnic Fijians and the 44 percent Indian minority. McFerson concludes that "the causes of conflict in society are varied," and the search for a single-factor explanation "is futile and counterproductive."

Haass, Richard N. THE MIDDLE EAST: NO MORE TREATIES (Foreign Affairs, vol. 75, no. 5, September/October 1996, pp. 53-63)

Describing the past five years as the "era of treaties" in the Middle East, Haass contends prospects are bleak for further treaties in the region during the next five years. But he says this does not have to lead to the end of the peace process. "What is called for is a new approach to diplomacy, one more modest in what it attempts but no less demanding in what it will require," Haass argues. The United States must not compromise its "basic beliefs" and "should speak out when it disagrees with what any party says or does," he writes.

Powers, Gerard. RELIGION, CONFLICT AND PROSPECTS FOR RECONCILIATION IN BOSNIA, CROATIA AND YUGOSLAVIA (Journal of International Affairs, vol. 50, no. 1, Summer 1996, pp. 221-252)

Examining the forces at work in the former Yugoslavia, the author contends that religion has often been manipulated by the leaders of the different populations and the churches have sometimes fueled antagonisms. But he emphasizes that many religious figures have taken "positive, even heroic, steps to minimize" the conflict. "The challenge for religious leaders in the Balkans is to show that religion can be a counter to extreme nationalism and a source of peace because of, not in spite of, its close link with culture and national identity," Powers says.

Rubin, Amy Magaro. LEARN PEACE, NOT WAR, UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS ADVISE STUDENTS IN DEVELOPING NATIONS (Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 43, issue 3, September 13, 1996, p. A51)

Several foundations and government agencies are funding a project sponsored by the International Association of University Presidents to establish courses in developing countries on conflict resolution, arms control and disarmament, and the effect of war on the economy and environment, the author reports. Courses in peace studies have been established at 51 universities in 26 nations, he notes, and the association hopes to expand the project to more countries, especially those that have been disrupted by war or civil strife.

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