Troublemakers or Peacemakers?

Siobhán McEvoy-Levy is assistant professor of political science at Butler University.

"Troublemakers or Peacemakers? comes at just the right time. While the international community now acknowledges the important role that youth play in ending or perpetuating organized violence, neither the United Nations nor country governments know what to do about it. Professor McEvoy-Levy's project provides cutting-edge perspectives on youth and conflict concerns, and practical insights into programmatic responses that have worked in fragile and failed states around the world. It is a must read for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners."-Neil Boothby, Director, Program on Forced Migration and Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University"This volume focuses on young people whose daily interactions and behaviors often shape the outcome of formal peace settlements in their society. It presents a theoretical context to examine youths' worldviews in a wide range of civil conflicts, asking when and how long-held hostile images of, and interactions between, opponents are reinforced and when and how they are transformed. The authors addressing this understudied question suggest important ways that youth in post-conflict societies make sense of their world and identify specific conditions under which they move from being combatants to peacemakers."-Marc Howard Ross, William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor, Bryn Mawr College"This book makes an original contribution to the field of peace and conflict studies. It brings together valuable information in an extremely readable and integrated book."-Julia Chaitin, Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Nova Southeastern UniversityIn contemporary armed conflicts, youth are often on the frontlines of combat and, after peace accords are signed, they are both potential threats to peace and significant peace-building resources. Troublemakers or Peacemakers? breaks new ground by exploring youth actions, perceptions, and needs as central components of the challenge of post-war peace building. The contributors develop theory and policy recommendations based on field research in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Guatemala, Colombia, Angola, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Israel-Palestine.