Canada and Missions for Peace

The end of the Cold War was to usher in a new era of international peace and security. Instead, new types of conflicts have emerged and the international community has had to react quickly. New threats to peace have been countered with varying doses of peacemaking, peacekeeping, and, today, peace-building. This newest approach --- peace-building --- recognizes that the sources of violent conflict are complex and that human security and international stability will only be achieved by integrating political, military, and development efforts.

Canada and Missions for Peace explores Canada's involvement in recent international efforts to resolve violent conflicts in Nicaragua, Cambodia, and Somalia. It examines the complex interface between foreign policy, international security, and international development. In doing so, this book joins the ever-growing body of scholarship on the new peace-building agenda, offering a unique vantage point.

Perhaps it is too early to tell if a concern for international security can be combined with a concern for human security and well-being to form a new peace-building "architecture." The lessons and insight contained in Canada and Missions for Peace, however, will bring this vision into clearer focus.