Paradise Poisoned: Learning About Conflict, Terrorism and Development from Sri Lanka's Civil Wars
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Could actions have been taken prior to September 11 th to prevent the formation of a strong and resilient al Qaeda ? Might alternative development policies have prevented the World Trade Center attacks and forestalled the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq? Paradise Poisoned draws crucial lessons from Sri Lanka's civil wars to demonstrate that violent conflict and terrorism are both predictable and preventable .
John Richardson's study - carried out over nearly twenty years - employs rigorous political and economic analysis and a multi-disciplinary engagement of the systemic linkages between development, governance, and civil conflict. The author - a noted development professor and practitioner, applied systems theorist, and South Asian scholar - traces ten development failures that spawned conflict and terrorism in Sri Lanka, and he proposes a comprehensive prevention strategy summarised in ten key imperatives.
Thus, while contextually rich in its examination of Sri Lankan political history, the policy relevance of Paradise Poisoned extends also to cases like Kosovo, Kashmir, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan and now, in particular, Iraq.
Of special utility are 3 policy leverage points discussed at length by Richardson: meeting the needs and expectations of young men, increasing police effectiveness, and prioritizing business community involvement.
Political leaders often say they 'had no choice' when implementing policies such as the US invasion of Iraq or earlier Sri Lankan government interventions, yet this is rarely true. Multiple choices are usually available, and the longer the time horizon, the greater the range of choices. Paradise Poisoned demonstrates that deadly conflict and terrorism are both predictable and preventable.
About the Author
John Richardson's writing, teaching and consulting apply systems analysis principles to the nexus of conflict, terrorism and development. Paradise Poisoned culminates nearly twenty years of work in this arena. Dr. Richardson has been visiting and writing about Sri Lanka since 1987, using the island nation's turbulent political-economic history as a lens through which to view international development issues. Earlier, he was a major contributor to the nascent field of global modeling, focusing on population-resource-environment interrelationships.
Dr. Richardson is Professor of International Development in American University's School of International Service and Director of the University's Center for Teaching Excellence. Previously he held faculty appointments in political science and systems engineering at Case Western Reserve University and visiting appointments at the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Among books that he has authored, co-authored, or co-edited by are:
Partners in Development (1969)
Groping in the Dark: The First Decade of Global Modeling (1982)
Ending Hunger: An Idea Whose Time has Come (1985)
Democratization in South Asia: The First Fifty Years (1998)
Paradise Poisoned: Learning About Conflict, Terrorism and Development from Sri Lanka's Civil Wars,John Richardson,International Centre for Ethnic Studies,9555800944,1978-,Civil War, 1983-,Economic aspects,Ethnic relations,History,International Relations - General,Political Science,Politics and government,Politics/International Relations,Sri Lanka,Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -
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