ABSTRACT
Therearefewchallengesofglobalgovernanceascompelling,ascomplex,andas challengingasthatofconflictprevention.Sincetherelativelypeacefulendofthe coldwar,theworldhaswitnessedaproliferationofviolent,destructive,anddeadly conflict,largelytakingplacewithintheoncesafeconfinesoftheterritorialstate,and claiminginnocentcivilians,women,andchildrenastheprimaryvictims(Hampson 2002;Zartman1995;Gurr1990,1993).Theglobalcommunity'sfailuretoprevent deadlyconflicthashadahorrificcostinhumanlives.Post-coldwarviolentconflict hascreatedfivemillioncasualties,ofwhom95percentarecivilians(Development AssistanceCommittee[DAC]2002,135-151).Butthecatastrophiclegacyextends farbeyond.Millionsaredamagedandscarredandsufferforgenerations,uprooted fromtheirhomes,deprivedoftheirlivelihood,socialsecurity,community,andfamilies, andlefttoliveinconstantfear.Thenaturalaswellasthesocialenvironmentsare damaged,ofteninwaysthatoverwhelmtheresourcesavailabletocopeandtheprogress alreadymadeinsustainabledevelopment.Mostbroadly,thefailureoftheglobal communitytopreventviolentconflictdestroystherealityofeconomicandhuman development-andanyprospectsforsuchdevelopment-forcountlessmillions, nowheremoresothanamongthepoorestpeopleoftheworld.Evenbeforethedeadly decadeofthe1990sendedwiththe1999Kosovoconflict,thecoststothebroader internationalcommunity,beyondthosecountriesdirectlyatwar,wereestimatedat aboutUS$200billion(BrownandRosecrance1999).Threequartersofthissumcould havebeensavedanddevotedtootheressentialhumanpurposeshadeffectivepreventive measuresbeenmountedintime.
