Why does the academic study of international relations have limited impact on the policy community? When research results are inconsistent, inconclusive, and contradictory, a lack of scholarly consensus discourages policy makers, the business community, and other citizens from trusting findings and conclusions from IR research. In New Directions for International Relations, Alex Mintz and Bruce Russett identify differences in methods of analysis as one cause of these problematic results. They discuss the problem and set the stage for nine chapters by diverse scholars to demonstrate innovative new developments in IR theory and creative new methods that can lay the basis for greater consensus. Looking at areas of concern such as the relationship between lawmaking and the use of military force, the challenge of suppressing extremists without losing moderates, and the public health effects of civil conflict, contributors show how international relations research can generate reliable results that can be, and in fact are, used in the real world.

This important collection of classic articles and papers presents a variety of perspectives on key topics in international security and conflict. These include how the structure of the international system constrains nations' choices, how domestic politics may affect decisions on war and peace, how individual and small group behaviour can affect foreign policy, and how international organizations can affect the security of states and peoples. Some of the selections are classics, but most represent recent research and analysis. They draw on international scholars working from different kinds of theories (realist, liberal-institutionalist and constructivist) and research methods to ask why nation-states may fight violently or stay at peace.

Negotiating a peaceful end to civil wars, which often includes an attempt to bring together former rival military or insurgent factions into a new national army, has been a frequent goal of conflict resolution practitioners since the Cold War. In practice, however, very little is known about what works, and what doesn't work, in bringing together former opponents to build a lasting peace. Contributors to this volume assess why some civil wars result in successful military integration while others dissolve into further strife, factionalism, and even renewed civil war. Eleven cases are studied in detail-Sudan, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, Rwanda, the Philippines, South Africa, Mozambique, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi-while other chapters compare military integration with corporate mergers and discuss some of the hidden costs and risks of merging military forces. New Armies from Old fills a serious gap in our understanding of civil wars, their possible resolution, and how to promote lasting peace, and will be of interest to scholars and students of conflict resolution, international affairs, and peace and security studies.

Triangulating Peace tackles today s most provocative hypothesis in the field of international relations: the democratic peace proposition. Drawing on ideas originally put forth by Immanuel Kant, the authors argue that democracy, economic interdependence, and international mediation can successfully cooperate to significantly reduce the chances of war.

In March 2003 leading historians, theologians, journalists, social scientists, and foundation executives met together at the St. Thomas More Catholic Center at Yale University to examine the current crisis facing the Catholic Church. The conference was a first in the Center's history and indicative of the size and scope of a crisis unprecedented in the American Catholic Church, namely, the revelations of sexual abuse by priests and the hierarchy's complicity. The aim of the conference was to heal and strengthen the church through a deeper understanding of governance, leadership, and the roles of the laity and clergy. The findings and recommendations of this important conference are published here for the first time.
Contributors include: John Beal, Francis Butler, Francine Cardman, Marcia Colish, Donald Cozzens, Gerald Fogarty, James Heft, Gerard Mannion, John McGreevy, Francis Oakley, Peter Phan, Thomas Reese, Bruce Russett, Peter Steinfels, Brian Tierney, and Donald W. Wuerl.