A team of top experts from across the nation and around the world presents issues of war, conflict resolution, and stable peace. They explain how men and women are transformed into perpetrators of genocide, how neighbors become sworn enemies, the cultural and psychological origins of war, and even the neuropsychology of conflict. Considering these elements together allows us to understand more clearly the violent world that surrounds us, and it serves as a precursor for examining models for resolving conflict and building peace. Finally, an exploration of what a successful war means for stakeholders holds profound implications for what a victory in the war against terrorism would look like.

These books bring attention to a variety of elements that will inform military studies, psychology, and sociology scholars and students. It will also inform researchers in many fields and at many levels who aim to understand the underlying causes of longstanding and emerging conflicts and the methods that may finally bring resolution and peace.

Mari Fitzduff is Professor and Director in the MA program in Coexistence and Conflict at Brandeis University. She was Chair of Conflict Studies at the University of Ulster from 1997 to 2003. Earlier, she was Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council, the main agency dedicated to developing and funding conflict resolution issues in Northern Ireland. She has worked on programs addressing conflict issues in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Her 2002 publication, Beyond Violence: Conflict Resolution Processes in Northern Ireland won an American Library Notable Publication Award.

Chris E. Stout is Founding Director of the Center for Global Initiatives and Clinical Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. A clinical psychologist, Stout is past-President of the Illinois Psychological Association, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice, and a recipient of the APA International Humanitarian Award. He is also one of the World Economic Forum's Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and an Invited Faculty member at the annual meeting in Davos. Stout, series editor for the Contemporary Psychology series with Praeger, has authored or edited numerous books, including the four-volume Psychology of Terrorism (Praeger, 2002).