Bringing together the experiences and insights of more than thirty experienced and emerging authors, human rights activists, and peace practitioners from Colombia and abroad, Colombia: Building Peace in a Time of War documents and analyzes the vast array of peace initiatives that have emerged in Colombia in recent years.
“Virginia Bouvier’s volume documents how different actors in Colombia’s struggle for peace and security engage in preventing state failure. Lessons from this volume can serve a larger readership as the U.S. government ponders its policy options in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.”
—Johanna Mendelson Forman, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
“An essential book on the Colombian struggle for peace from a bottom up approach."
—Gorka Espiau Idoiaga, Special Advisor for Peace Building to the President of the Basque Country
“Bouvier 's collection combines insightful analysis with a much needed message of hope for the conflict in Colombia. It is a welcome reminder that only through the participation and innovation of civil society will Colombia find a peace that endures.”
—Joy Olson, Washington Office on Latin America
“The volume offers a detailed map that Colombian government authorities, civil society leaders, and the international community can follow to help construct an enduring peace. Other societies undergoing similar conflicts will benefit enormously from this singular contribution.”
—Michael Shifter, Inter-American Dialogue, and Georgetown University
"The comprehensive nature of the case studies in this book lends insight into why Colombia remains one of the most intractable conflicts and what might be done about it. More importantly, the book contains a holistic evaluation of diverse initiatives to build peace in Colombia, and the lessons it highlights will aid the cause of peacebuilders everywhere."
— Robert Ricigliano, Institute of World Affairs
"At last a focus on peace, not violence, in Colombia! This book of essays by leading scholars and practitioners from inside and outside Colombia takes us beyond the lurid headlines and political misconstructions. The authors make visible the efforts of so many Colombians to build conditions for living without violence, taking us from armed actors to peace actors. They do so through scholarship, evidence, and their connections to everyday lived realities and experiences. This is an accessible collection of essays with a coherence which makes it indispensable reading for academics, activists, and policymakers interested in peacebuilding in Colombia and beyond."
—Jenny Pearce, University of Bradford