"The bloody conflicts of the past decade have focused international attention on the strategic role of the media in promoting war and perpetuating chaos. Written against this backdrop, Forging Peace brings together case studies and legal analysis of the steps that the United Nations, NATO, and other
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organizations have taken to build pluralist and independent media in the wake of massive human rights violations. It examines current thinking on the legality of unilateral humanitarian intervention, and analyzes in graphic detail the pioneering use of information intervention techniques in conflict zones, ranging from full-scale bombardment and confiscation of transmitters to the establishment of new laws and regulatory regimes. With its focus on the role of media in preventing human rights violations, Forging Peace will influence policy and debate for years to come." (Publisher description)
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"Taking 14 radio serial dramas from around the world shows that many aspects of the way they are organised are not replicable: what works in one context would just not work in another. This is because of the very nature of pro-social media projects: they depend so much on the personal contacts of th
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e producers, and the specific needs and tastes of the target audience. A successful model for one country may well not work in another, simply because there are so many variables. Having presented this caveat, the following is a list of replicable features gleaned from the 14 projects studied. More detail about how these features work in practice can be found in each case-study. The features have been selected because they either show up strongly across all projects, have been singled out by project-holders as the key to their success, or because they seem to have the potential for translating across countries and sectors." (Recommendations, page 21)
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"This book examines how media have brought about or paced dramatic political events in Southeast Asia over the last two decades. It highlights a situation where media dynamics are no longer a simple formula of state control versus media resistance. The state can propel its own media-liberalizing pro
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gramme; civil society can be an enemy of press freedom; market forces and cultural mindsets are sometimes more potent agents of change than state-appointed media custodians. Practitioners, scholars and activists have come together in this volume to provide a diversity of narratives on subjects as varied as powerful politicians and marginalized transsexuals." (Publisher description)
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"A great deal has now been written about the patterns of media exploitation as they contribute to a vortex of destruction. Less has been elaborated about the efforts of international governmental organisations ("IGOs") and non-governmental organisations ("NGOs") to intervene so as to maintain a more
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stable and peaceful world order either in anticipation of conflict, during the conflict or in the ordeal following the conflict. This paper focuses, as a background for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") Geneva Conference, in May 2000, on post-conflict patterns that emerge, primarily drawing from four case studies—Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Rwanda, and Cambodia." (Introduction)
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"This is an important and brave book. It is important because it is fresh, analytical and identifies the grave shortcomings in the handling of information and the media by the UN in conflicts and emergencies. It is brave because it is written by an insider who knows the deficiencies and wants organi
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sations like the UN to learn the lessons. Peacekeeping and Public Information neatly treads a fine line. It is restrained when perhaps direct accusations could be levelled. But that restraint is its value, because Ingrid Lehmann is identifying shortcomings, not apportioning blame. The failings of procedures - and the need to rebuild them - matter more than the failures of personalities, which undoubtedly there have been in UN Operations. Not just the UN can learn from this book. Also humanitarian organisations, the media, the military, diplomats - and most significantly the corporate world." (Nik Gowing, News Anchor and Analyst on Information in Conflict and Emergencies)
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