Book Notes
| Author | Michael Biggs |
| Published date | 01 March 2006 |
| Date | 01 March 2006 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002234330604300208 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
228
© 2006 Journal of Peace Research,
vol. 43, no. 2, 2006, pp. 228–238
Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA
and New Delhi) http://jpr.sagepub.com
DOI 10.1177/0022343306061904
Bais, Karolien & Mijnd Huijser, 2005. The
Profit of Peace: Corporate Responsibility in Conflict
Regions. Sheffield: Greenleaf. 144 pp. ISBN
187471990X.
In this book, Bais & Huijser ask, ‘What exactly
do we strive for in conflict resolution: justice
before peace or peace before justice?’ (p. 125).
The authors touch upon the controversial issue of
multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in
conflict regions. Several humanitarian organiz-
ations have criticized MNCs for continuing to
operate in conflict regions, blaming them for
fuelling the conflict through supporting the
regime. However, Bais & Huijser look into how
MNCs can actually help promote peace and
stability in conflict regions. Through this agenda,
they challenge the traditional negative views of
MNCs often posed by NGOs. Several leaders of
companies operating in conflict regions are given
the chance to defend their choice of whether to
leave in protest against the regime or stay and
keep civilians in work. An MNC staying in a
conflict region will most probably affect the
conflict in one way or another. It is therefore
important to steer this influence in a positive
direction towards peace and stability. Ideally,
MNCs and NGOs should work together towards
this goal, but the lack of confidence and trust
between the two is a huge barrier to overcome.
This book provides the reader with inside infor-
mation regarding how MNC leaders reason when
operating in conflict regions. Most importantly, it
provides an opportunity and a foundation for
dialogue between MNCs and NGOs. Actors
working in conflict regions, both for business
purposes and humanitarian activities, would
benefit greatly from reading this book.
Siri Aas Rustad
Bloom, Mia, 2005. Dying to Kill: The Allure
of Suicide Terror. New York: Columbia University
Press. xvii + 251 pp. ISBN 0231133200.
This book provides a broad overview of ‘suicide
terror’. It gives sustained attention to three con-
flicts: Palestinians versus Israel, Tamils versus Sri
Lanka and Kurds versus Turkey. Bloom explains
the emergence of suicide terrorism using three
hypotheses: groups resort to this tactic when
other tactics have failed; when they face com-
petition from rival groups; and when the popu-
lation to whom they appeal accepts the targeting
of enemy civilians. These hypotheses are illus-
trated by a variety of secondary evidence, both
qualitative and quantitative (though the graphs
have been divorced from the text and relegated to
the back of the book). For policy recommen-
dations, Bloom emphasizes the importance of
changing attitudes in the populations that sustain
terrorist groups, and warns that repressive
countermeasures such as targeted assassinations
will merely enhance support for them. Unfortu-
nately, the book is flawed in several respects. It
conflates suicide missions with indiscriminate
attacks on civilians, despite the fact that they are
only contingently related. After defining ‘suicide
terror’ by the targeting of civilians (p.3), the book
mentions Japanese Kamikaze attacks on the US
Navy as one example. Bloom tends to dismiss the
work of other scholars (such as Robert Pape)
without engaging in rigorous critique. Some
empirical oversights are also surprising: the book
describes the attack on US Marines in Beirut in
1983 as ‘the beginning of the modern use of
suicide terror’ (p. 1) – ignoring the simultaneous
attack on French troops and the previous suicide
car-bombings in Lebanon (including the attack
on the Iraqi Embassy in 1981).
Michael Biggs
Brittan, Samuel, 2005. Against the Flow.
London: Atlantic. xiv + 385 pp. ISBN
1843543788.
Cooke, Alistair, 2005. Letter from America.
London: Penguin. xvii + 511 pp. ISBN
0141020156.
Academics are wont to be somewhat sniffy about
journalists. While we, this reviewer included, may
rely upon press reports for our data collection, the
‘first draft of history’ is not generally regarded
with the esteem accorded to other publications.
BOOK
NOTES
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