■ Vesa, Unto, ed., 2005. Global Commissions Assessed. Helsinki Process Publication Series 4/2005. Edita: Edita, for Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 139 pp. ISBN 9517244843 (http://www. helsinkiprocess.fi/netcomm/ImgLib/24/89/helsinki _process_publication_series_4_2005.pdf)
| Published date | 01 March 2007 |
| Author | Manne Wängborg |
| Date | 01 March 2007 |
| DOI | 10.1177/00223433070440020720 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
the ICC, while the third section includes articles
that evaluate the effectiveness of the existing legal
framework and structural constraints in its appli-
cation, focusing on transnational terrorism, justice
in fractured societies and prohibition of child sol-
diers. This volume presents a wide range of topics
relevant to both students and practitioners of
international law in the field of human rights.
Most of the articles are well written and timely.
The book can also be adopted as a text for courses
in human rights, international studies and inter-
national criminal law. Despite the coverage of a
wide range of very interesting issues, this book
suffers from the same limitations as most edited
volumes do. Most of the articles are primarily
descriptive rather than analytical. The breadth of
the covered topics comes at the expense of depth.
The volume attempts to cover three very broad
issues – the role of law and justice in good govern-
ance, the interaction between peacemaking and
human rights, and finally the issue of accountabil-
ity from the individual to the global level of analy-
sis – but it fails to accomplish this task. The impact
of criminal law on peacemaking is mostly insinu-
ated rather than developed, leaving out a large area
of research that intersects both international crim-
inal law and conflict resolution studies.
Ismene Gizelis
䊏Vesa, Unto, ed., 2005. Global Commissions
Assessed. Helsinki Process Publication Series 4/2005.
Edita: Edita, for Finnish Ministry for Foreign
Affairs. 139 pp. ISBN 9517244843 (http://www.
helsinkiprocess.fi/netcomm/ImgLib/24/89/helsinki
_process_publication_series_4_2005.pdf).
Gro Harlem Brundtland is credited with the strik-
ing thesis ‘A good report is not the end, but the
beginning’. This inspired the Helsinki Process on
Globalisation and Democracy to seek, together
with Canada’s International Development
Research Centre, to learn lessons from other
international commissions, in order to identify
keys to success and highlight proposals that
deserve being implemented today. The analysis
was carried out by four well-known scholars –
Michael Barnett, Barry Carin, David Cortright
and Helge Hveem – and coordinated by Unto
Vesa. The study, with an introduction by Raimo
Väyrynen, has been published in a handy report
entitled Global Commissions Assessed. Examining
the impact of several commissions – from Brandt
to Brundtland, from Canberra to Carlsson-
Ramphal – it concludes that successful commis-
sions have formulated a persuasive ‘take-away
message’; framed the issues appropriately for the
political context; targeted their primary audience
well; and prioritized issues to ensure a manageable
agenda. Another factor is effective intermediation
between commission members and their con-
stituencies. If members have a strong following
and form hubs of communication, identification
and influence around the commission, its message
will likely resonate. The elusive notion of timing
is crucial. An element of random luck is involved
in trying to capture the Zeitgeist and address issues
of broad concern, at that particular moment.
However, success also requires diligent effort –
forging linkages with like-minded states, inter-
governmental and nongovernmental organiz-
ations and civil society movements; creating
organizational platforms to sustain and diffuse
key ideas; and weaving a web of normative
support to help legitimate them. While neither a
handbook nor a systematic comparison of global
commissions, the report makes a strong case for
sound planning to optimize their impact.
Manne Wängborg
Authors of Book Notes in this issue:
Marit Brochmann – University of Oslo
Scott Gates – PRIO
Ismene Gizelis – University of Kent
Nils Petter Gleditsch – PRIO
Nicholas Marsh – PRIO
Naima Mouhleb – PRIO
Ragnhild Nordås – PRIO
Christin M. Ormhaug – PRIO
Gudrun Østby – PRIO
James Lee Ray – Vanderbilt University
Gregory Reichberg – PRIO
Siri Aas Rustad – PRIO
Ole Magnus Theisen – NTNU
Anne Thurin – PRIO
Manne Wängborg – Swedish Foreign Ministry
Jennifer Ziemke – University of Wisconsin-Madison
journal of PEACE RESEARCH volume 44 / number 2 / march 2007
254
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