Time for Peace: The Essential Role of Time in Conflict and Peace Processes (Peace and Conflict Series)

For building sustainable peace and security, the time is always now. Violence in our world extends beyond armed conflicts: it exists in our social and economic structures, not to mention in our destruction of the environment. How can we build more sustainable development and peace? In this innovative, ambitious book, Dr Luc Reychler argues that we must drastically change our temporament, or the way we deal with time. He surveys the vast temporal landscape, and considers its many dimensions, such as how time relates to emotions, religion and conflict, and how our time horizons affect the natural world. Using examples such as Hurricane Katrina and regime change in Libya, Reychler shows how time is misused in conflicts be it the failure to anticipate a disaster, or the manipulation of time to create a false sense of urgency. Ultimately, he proposes a more adaptive attitude to time, so that we can be proactive rather than reactive in our efforts at sustainable development and conflict resolution. Based on Reychlers 40-year experience in the field, Time for Peace is an original and important contribution to the development and peace research literature. Cover 1 Author biography 2 Other titles of interest 3 Title page 4 Imprint page 5 Dedication 6 Note from Series Editor 7 Contents 8 Preface 9 1. Time on the Couch 15 2. Less Violence – Far from Peace 28 3. Sustainable Peacebuilding 47 4. News Time 63 5. A Vast Temporal Landscape 76 6. Time in Conflict and Peace Studies 119 7. Dimensions of Time 160 8. The Emotions of Time 183 9. The Religion of Time 205 10. An Adaptive Temporament 230 Conclusion 259 Glossary 265 Notes 272 References 276 Index 296