How to Stop a War
Barney Mayhew

How to Stop a War shows how it is sometimes possible to stop a war in its tracks. With stories from personal experience of many conflicts, it explains how the international war-stopping system works. At a time when conflict is raging in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere, this is a book of hope.

For the reader who feels in the dark about war, this book switches the lights on and shows them around. Who are the diplomats, the military officers and the United Nations officials who tackle a war and – if they succeed – bring it to an end? How do they get a cease-fire agreed? How do they negotiate a lasting peace? What do they do to keep people alive in the meantime?

The book describes first-hand what it is like to work on a war. The realities of life as a United Nations peacekeeper. Being a tank commander in a massive military force facing down Russia. Trying to stop a war breaking out in Bosnia. Responding to a genocide in Rwanda.

War is often prevented or calmed down. As a result, most of the world is at peace. Yet for all the successes, the book reveals that the existing war-stopping system is often not even basically competent. It needs radical improvement. Fortunately that is possible. The book explains what changes are needed, some of which are surprisingly simple.

The way we currently stop wars is like the medical profession 200 years ago, when standards ranged from brilliant to terrible. We now have a wonderful medical profession. Disease will always be with us, but it turns out we can do a lot about it.

 So it is with war. We can do a lot about it. This book explains how.