Paradise Poisoned by John Richardson

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John Sterman jsterman MIT.EDU
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Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2002 3:39 am

Paradise Poisoned by John Richardson

Post by John Sterman jsterman MIT.EDU »

Posted by John Sterman <jsterman@MIT.EDU>
Folks,

Prof. John Richardson of American University (Wash. DC) has just
published a new book that should be of interest to many in the SD
community. FYI, John was a long-time colleague of Dana Meadows,
among many others in SD, and teaches SD at AU. Below find a
description of the work and info on the book.

John Sterman


>>Viewing the whole 'elephant' of conflict, terrorism, development linkages.
>>A note to System Dynamics Society colleagues from John Richardson
>>
>>John Godfrey Saxe's poetic rendering of the parable that pictures of the
>>six blind men trying to describe an elephant describes the current state of
>>knowledge about linkages between conflict, development and terrorism - and
>>why I chose to apply system dynamics to this problem.
>>
>> And so these men of Indostan, disputed loud and long
>> Each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong
>> Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong
>>
>>Some years ago I developed a system dynamics model that represented my best
>>answer to the question: ""Why is the process of international development
>>so often characterized by a reference mode of escalating deadly conflict.""
>>The research began with a generic model that was then applied to Mexico and
>>Argentina. The most widely read results were published in the December
>>number of Futures under the title 'Violence and Repression: Unexamined
>>Factors in Development Planning. My intention to then apply the model to a
>>number of other case studies, beginning with Sri Lanka. I had a visiting
>>faculty appointment in Sri Lanka, in 1988, when this island nation
>>struggling with two civil wars.
>>
>>This first case study took nearly twenty years and did not produce a fully
>>elaborated model. But it did produce, I believe, a nuanced application of
>>system dynamics principles to one of the most perplexing development
>>scenarios of the post World War II era - Sri Lanka's transformation from
>>development ""success story"" to a poster case of protracted deadly conflict.
>>Further, it drew lessons of general relevance that extend well beyond Sri
>>Lanka.
>>
>>All of this is described in my recently published book, Paradise Poisoned:
>>Learning about Conflict, Terrorism and Development from Sri Lanka's Civil
>>Wars. Paradise Poisoned was released in March by the International Centre
>>for Ethnic Studies, a leading South Asian policy research NGO, where I
>>have served as a board member for many years. I chose to publish the book
>>in Sri Lanka so that it would be available to potential readers in South
>>Asia at a price they could afford. In Sri Lanka it is selling for RS 1350
>>and in India (via the ICES or Amazon.com) for about 1350 Indian Rupees.
>>Candidly, I must also admit that many publishers were unenthusiastic about
>>a book in which the substantive narrative was preceded by a fairly lengthy
>>discussion, complete with causal loop diagrams, of the system dynamics
>>principals on which the book is grounded. But I am hoping this will be
>>viewed as an asset rather than a liability by Society Members.
>>
>>While the ICES provided a great venue for publishing a high quality book
>>quickly and inexpensively, its capacity for publicizing and distributing
>>books outside of Sri Lanka is quite modest. Thus has been incumbent upon
>>me to take more responsibility for distributing the book, outside of Sri
>>Lanka, that might have been the case had I chosen to published in the US or
>>England. Calling my book to your attention is obviously part of that
>>process. Should you be interested in copy you can order one from
>>Amazon.com. Or you can simply send a $25 check made out to me at CTE,
>>American University, Washington, DC. 20016. I will then mail you a book,
>>autographed if you wish. Unfortunately, my mom and pop distribution
>>enterprise is not set up for credit cards. Dennis Meadows will also have
>>copies of the book for you to look and brochures at the upcoming conference
>>in Boston. Unfortunately I will be joining my 94 year old father in New
>>Hampshire for a family reunion, that weekend.
>>
>>I have provide a brief ""release"" below and for those who would like a more
>>detailed description, I have attached a brief ""roadmap,"" edited from my
>>notes at the Colombo Launch of Paradise Poisoned. A brief excerpt follows
>>to provide the flavor.
>>
>>WHAT WILL PARADISE POISONED BE REMEMBERED FOR?
>>Most authors want their books to be of lasting value, and of course many
>>wind up on the ""remainders"" shelf within a year or so? Should that grim
>>fate be escaped, here is what I hope critics and commentators may be saying
>>about Paradise Poisoned, five years from now.
>>
>>First, Paradise Poisoned showed how contending explanations of conflict
>>escalation could be represented in a single model, because they all
>>describe parts of the same system,
>>
>>Second, Paradise Poisoned emphasized the importance of targeting
>>development strategies to meet the needs of youth, especially young men,
>>who are the prime recruits and the foot soldiers of militant movements.
>>
>>Third, Paradise Poisoned provided a basis for collegial, fruitful dialogue
>>between those who view conflict prevention and resolution from the vantage
>>point of development and those who view it primarily from the vantage point
>>of security.
>>
>>Fourth, Paradise Poisoned highlighted the role of police officers in
>>development and conflict prevention, winning them the resources, respects,
>>commitment to professionalism and freedom from political interference
>>necessary to carry out their duties effectively.
>>
>>Fifth, Paradise Poisoned convinced political leaders that the same
>>rigorous cost benefit standards applied to development projects should be
>>applied to the use of force and violence, and especially the decision to go
>>to war.
>>
>>My apologies for this somewhat overlong email.
>>
>>Best,
>>
>>John Richardson
>>Professor of International Development and
>>Director, Center for Teaching Excellence
>>American University.
>>202 885 2346 ; 202 316 4683 (Mobile)
>>94 077 640 0660 (When I am in Sri Lanka)
>>
>>
>>*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* NEW RELEASE! *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
>>
>>PARADISE POISONED: Learning about Conflict, Terrorism and Development from
>>Sri Lanka's Civil Wars
>>By John Richardson
>>
>>September 11, the US war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq have brought
>>deadly conflict and terrorism home to Americans and elevated the issues
>>geopolitically. 'Terrorism' is only one manifestation of a deadly conflict
>>syndrome that has proven pervasive, protracted and costly in many places
>>around the globe for years or even decades. Terrorist incidents cannot be
>>understood or prevented if they are viewed as isolated events.
>>
>>Paradise Poisoned places conflict and terrorism in a broader context in
>>search of preventative measures. The book concludes that protracted deadly
>>conflict and terrorism are predictable and preventable. We know at least
>>as much about linkages between development and deadly conflict as about
>>linkages between cigarette smoking and cancer. We know enough to design and
>>implement timely, cost effective conflict-prevention strategies.
>>
>>Paradise Poisoned seeks solutions by asking the questions that victims of
>>deadly conflict and terrorism most commonly pose:
>>
>>** How could we have come to this; why could we not prevent the conflicts
>>and terrorist incidents that have killed our family members and friends,
>>devastated our lives and destroyed what had been so painstakingly created?
>>** What can we learn and share from our experiences that may help others
>>escape a similar path?
>>** How can we share what we have learned, powerfully and effectively, so
>>that it will make a difference?
>>The answers provided by Paradise Poisoned can help craft more secure and
>>sustainable development scenarios; striking at the roots of deadly conflict
>>and terrorism before they become strong.
Posted by John Sterman <jsterman@MIT.EDU>
posting date Sun, 12 Jun 2005 14:53:04 -0400
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