“Odendaal impressively distills a wide variety of experiences with local peace committees and explains the complex interplay between national and local, formal and informal actors in an environment where conflicting groups can work together to forestall violence and take the first steps in what will be a lengthy peacebuilding process. He rightly stresses the importance of ownership of peace processes at the local level as a key condition for success and provides ample evidence for how this local ownership can be achieved. A Crucial Link is a must-read for peacebuilding practitioners and policymakers.”
—Nicole Ball, Center for International Policy

“Odendaal draws on his deep experience as well as broad comparative research to identify lessons about when and how local level peace committees contribute to national level peacebuilding. This book is an important resource for practitioners and researchers alike working to improve the effectiveness of peacebuilding.”
—Diana V. Chigas, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

"Exploring the connection between frameworks for peacebuilding at both the government and local levels, A Crucial Link underscores the importance of understanding peace processes as multilayered and complex, cross-cutting all levels of society. A valuable addition to course reading lists, this volume rightly emphasizes the need for grassroots ownership of peacebuilding processes and provides examples of successes where governmental bodies have collaborated with NGOs and local entities for greater overall effectiveness."
—Landon Hancock, Center for Applied Conflict Management, Kent State University

“Odendaal’s well-conceived and well-crafted book on global experiences with local peace committees presents cutting-edge comparative knowledge and practitioner lessons on local-level conflict resolution. This balanced and carefully researched book makes the case that international conflict resolvers must focus intently at the local level for conflict prevention in volatile transitions. This book is highly relevant for practitioners, scholars, and students of conflict resolution at a time when so many countries experiencing volatile transitions are in deep need of comparative lessons and international support for local-level processes to prevent violence and build peace.”
—Timothy D. Sisk, Center for 21st Century Global Governance, University of Denver

“A convincing case for the centrality of local peace initiatives in securing the sustainability of national peace agreements. Odendaal provides a lucid practitioner’s perspective on the process of local peacebuilding and critically reflects on the interconnections between the local and national peace processes. He combines personal experiences as a peacemaker with a thorough review of comparable international experience to provide both a conceptual mapping of the challenges of local peacebuilding and nuanced assessment of the practical lessons that can be drawn from these varied experiences.”

—Hugo van der Merwe, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
“This comparative study comes at the right moment, as many countries simply lack the capacity, structures, and mechanisms to deal with increased violent conflict. Through experiences from dozens of countries, Odendaal convincingly describes how local peace committees have contributed to preventing violence and promoting peaceful coexistence. An essential lesson is that local peacebuilding should be an integral aspect of a national peacebuilding strategy, and A Crucial Link optimizes the linkage between local and national levels, and between stakeholders that are prepared to give peace a chance. This book deserves to be read by many, while the described approach deserves a fair chance in many more countries.”
—Paul van Tongeren, International Civil Society Network on Infrastructures for Peace

Latest Publications

What a Transitional Government in Haiti will Require to Succeed

What a Transitional Government in Haiti will Require to Succeed

Thursday, March 28, 2024

By: Nicolás Devia-Valbuena;  Keith Mines

After weeks of consultations, and amidst a near total breakdown of law and order in Haiti, a Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-led effort to create a new transitional governing council may be nearing completion. The council’s establishment would allow for the entry of a multinational security force that would then be able to join with the Haitian National Police and restore order. Some have suggested the inclusion of “enablers” for the new security force — air support, drones, intelligence. But to gain the trust of the Haitian people, the new governing council will need its own popular “enablers,” a systematic way to include many more sectors of Haitian society that are currently ignored or deliberately excluded from governance.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Promoting Peace and Stability in the Americas through Religious Freedom

Promoting Peace and Stability in the Americas through Religious Freedom

Thursday, March 28, 2024

By: Knox Thames

The Western Hemisphere is generally known for protecting freedom of religion or belief. With a few notable exceptions, the countries of the region all enshrine religious freedom at the constitutional level and protect it through laws and policies. But in recent years, authoritarian governments in South America have increasingly viewed religious actors as threats to their regime’s survival and tried to control or crush independent religious activity.

Type: Analysis

Religion

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By: Mary Glantz, Ph.D.;  Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Andrew Watkins

On Friday, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow leaving 140 people dead and 80 others critically wounded. Soon after, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group, which is headquartered in Iraq and Syria, has several branches, including in South and Central Asia. Press reports suggest the U.S. government believes the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was behind the attack. The Biden administration has publicly noted that it had warned the Russian government of the terrorism threat in early March in line with the procedure of “Duty to Warn.”

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By: Robert Barron

On March 25, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2728, calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The motion’s passage came after weeks of back and forth and posturing among the UNSC’s permanent and rotating members. The exact phrasing of the resolution and its relevance to the situation on the ground, as well as bilateral and multilateral relations — particularly U.S.-Israel ties — have been the subject of heavy public and media attention since Monday, raising questions about the resolution’s subtext, intent and limitations. USIP’s Robert Barron looks at these questions.

Type: Question and Answer

Global PolicyPeace Processes

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Angela Stent

While ISIS has claimed responsibility for the devastating terror attack in Moscow, Putin has baselessly tried to shift the blame to Ukraine, says USIP’s Angela Stent: “[Putin] wants to use this to increase repression at home … and also to pursue a more aggressive path in Ukraine.”

Type: Podcast

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