■ Hartmann, Betsy; Banu Subramaniam & Charles Zerner, eds, 2005. Making Threats: Biofears and Environmental Anxieties. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 266 pp. ISBN 0742549062 (hardback); 0742549070 (paperback)
| Author | Nils Petter Gleditsch |
| Published date | 01 March 2007 |
| Date | 01 March 2007 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00223433070440020705 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
articles have an empirical basis, and most of these
are large-N contributions. Following the editor’s
introductory chapter, the articles are structured
within a four-part framework. Part 1, ‘Concepts,
Measurement and Patterns’, focuses on what war
has been and what it will be in the future. J. David
Singer’s work receives much attention, but also a
more modern discussion of post-Cold War con-
flict is prominent. Part 2 provides an introduc-
tion to general theoretical approaches to conflict,
focusing on realism, rational choice and con-
structivism. Surprisingly, the radical approach to
conflict seems to be largely ignored. Part 3 looks
at conflict correlates along three levels of analysis:
the national, dyadic and systemic levels. Finally,
Part 4 treats the moderation and outcomes of
conflict. At times, the structure is confusing. For
example, why should the subsection ‘Domestic
Political Influences’ be included in Part 2, whereas
Part 3 also covers national correlates of conflict?
Nevertheless, the editor should be applauded for
selecting the articles and coherently binding them
all together. The selection will be a useful starting
point and guide for anyone interested in conflict
research.
Gudrun Østby
䊏Durham, Helen & Tracey Gurd, eds, 2005.
Listening to the Silences: Women and War. Leiden:
Matinus Nijhoff. xv + 276 pp. ISBN 9004143653.
Listening to the Silences makes a strong impression
on its reader’s heart and mind. By giving voice to
18 remarkable women, Durham and Gurd under-
take an in-depth investigation into women’s expe-
riences of war and their diverse roles. The study
opens with the testimony of a survivor of sexual
slavery and underlines a terrible truth: violence
against women is ‘seen as a necessary cost of war’
(p. 53). During conflict, women are targets of
severe abuses categorized under gender-based vio-
lence such as rape or sexual mutilation. However,
the author’s main standpoint is that women
should not be simply seen as victims but also as
active protagonists during and after wars. Because
of their gender, women can also make a difference.
Penny Cumming, an Australian soldier deployed
in Iraq, describes how being a ‘girl’ soldier has
facilitated better interactions with local women
and girls (p. 17). Maggie O’Kane, a British jour-
nalist who uncovered the existence of rape camps
in Bosnia, explains that female correspondents in
conflict areas are more determined and better
placed to report on violence against women (p. 91).
Thanks to the authors’ thorough analysis, this
edited volume can also be used as a very useful
textbook on existing international humanitarian
law principles and jurisprudence in relation to the
protection of women in war and the prosecution
of gender-based violence after conflict. Finally, the
inspiring role of women activists and peacemakers
is very well illustrated throughout. Some voices,
however, still remain to be better heard, notably
those of voluntary female fighters. Listening to
their stories would give us a more comprehensive
picture of how women experience war and what
they expect from peace.
Anne Thurin
䊏Hartmann, Betsy; Banu Subramaniam &
Charles Zerner, eds, 2005. Making Threats: Biofears
and Environmental Anxieties. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield. 266 pp. ISBN 0742549062
(hardback); 0742549070 (paperback).
This book is a critique of neo-Malthusianism
from the left, reminiscent of Violent Environments
edited by Nancy Peluso & Michael Watts (Cornell
University Press, 2001) and with two of the same
authors. It is inspired by the ‘climate of fear’ gen-
erated by the events of 11 September 2001. But it
stems it from concerns that go back at least to the
end of the Cold War, when the fear of commu-
nism, according to some of the authors, had to be
replaced by fear of something else. That something
is a mix of resource scarcity, terrorism, disease,
genetic engineering and other perversions of mod-
ernity. The editors believe that such ‘fears play a
particularly powerful role in obscuring and natu-
ralizing social, economic and political processes
and attendant policy choices’ (p. 3). For instance,
the current concern with the possible relationship
between youth bulges and political unrest ‘is used
to build and sustain anti-Islamic prejudice’ (p. 18).
The authors do a good job of debunking some
exaggerated fears that are being given excessive
publicity and force us to reflect on how we should
prioritize our fears in order to direct policy mea-
sures at the most serious social ills. But if you are
out for guidance before you make up your mind
about the effects of genetically modified crops or
whether youth bulges are associated with the onset
of civil war, this is not where you should be looking.
This is a book more about discourses rather than
the substance of the debates.
Nils Petter Gleditsch
journal of PEACE RESEARCH volume 44 / number 2 / march 2007
248
To continue reading
Request your trial