The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacebuilding

Stories and Lessons

By (author) John W. McDonald, Noa Zanolli

Not available to order

Publication date:

07 August 2008

Length of book:

362 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739124253

This book brings together the remembrances of Ambassador John W. McDonald, a veteran diplomat whose life serves as a model to those people of vision and action who wish to make a difference in a world that is desperate for the end of conflict. Beginning his career in international diplomacy in post-WWII Berlin and under the Marshall Plan, Ambassador McDonald's 40 years of working with the U.S. government and the United Nations—as well as with various academic institutions and NGOs—offer the reader both inspiration and hope for the future of international peace and cooperation. This international civil servant of extraordinary vision and courage has devoted his life to the successful resolution of conflict through communication.

The Shifting Grounds of Conflict and Peacemaking contains the professional life lessons of Ambassador McDonald and offers his insight into international issues, providing frank and informed discussion on the environment, women's rights, the global water crisis, sustainable resources, international development, and, above all, peace. Those looking to be inspired into action should read this book to receive guidance about how one person can make all the difference toward building a lasting peace.

Chapter 1 Table of Contents
Chapter 2 List of Illustrations
Chapter 3 Preface
Chapter 4 Acknowledgments
Chapter 5 1. Earliest Beginnings, 1922-1946
Chapter 6 2. In Postwar Germant and France, 1947-1954
Chapter 7 3. Developing a Global Perspective: Washington, D.C., 1954-1959
Chapter 8 4. Working in Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, 1959-1962
Chapter 9 5. Posted in Egypt, 1963-1966
Chapter 10 6. The National War College: Washington, D.C., 1966-1967
Chapter 11 7. Getting Involved in the UN System, 1967-1974
Chapter 12 8. Deputy Director-General at the International Labour Organization: Geneva, 1974-1978
Chapter 13 9. Special Assignments in the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs: Washington, D.C., 1978-1983
Chapter 14 10. Exploring Track Two, Retirement, and a New Beginning: Washington, D.C., 1983-1988
Chapter 15 11. President of the Iowa Peace Institute: Grinnell, Iowa, 1989-1991
Chapter 16 12. The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy—Creation and Early Years: Washington, D.C., 1992-2000
Chapter 17 13. More about IMTD Projects—Patience, Perseverence, and Optimism: Arlington (Rosslyn), Virginia, 2000-2007
Chapter 18 14. IMTD's New Initiatives, 2007
Chapter 19 15. Assessing the State of the World Today (2008)
Chapter 20 Appendix 1: Publications by Ambassador John W. McDonald
Chapter 21 Appendix 2: Ambassador John W. McDonald's Major Awards and Career Distinctions
Chapter 22 Appendix 3: Ambassodor John W. McDonald's Board of Directors Memberships in Not-for-Profit Organizations and Academic Institutions (2008)
Chapter 23 Index
Chapter 24 About Noa Zanolli

Ambassador John W. McDonald is widely credited as a founding father of the emerging field of multi-track diplomacy, which shares responsibility for a radical drop in the level of political violence globally over the last 20 years. This book reveals the extraordinary details of a 60-year career that serves as a shining example of what it is possible for us to accomplish through multi-track diplomacy. His life shows that it is the commitment and imagination of individuals and small groups working in and across government, civil society, and private sectors, as well as across religious and secular, cultural, national, ethnic, and gender divides, bottom-up as well as top-down, that create the spark needed for transformative social change at all levels and sustainable peace for a small planet.