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About
Paradise Poisoned
Could
actions have been taken prior to September 11 th to prevent
the formation of a strong and resilient al Qaeda ? Might alternative
development policies have prevented the World Trade Center
attacks and forestalled the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq?
Paradise Poisoned draws crucial lessons from Sri Lanka's civil
wars to demonstrate that violent conflict and terrorism are
both predictable and preventable .
John
Richardson's study - carried out over nearly twenty years
- employs rigorous political and economic analysis and a multi-disciplinary
engagement of the systemic linkages between development, governance,
and civil conflict. The author - a noted development professor
and practitioner, applied systems theorist, and South Asian
scholar - traces ten development failures that spawned conflict
and terrorism in Sri Lanka, and he proposes a comprehensive
prevention strategy summarised in ten key imperatives.
Thus,
while contextually rich in its examination of Sri Lankan political
history, the policy relevance of Paradise Poisoned extends
also to cases like Kosovo, Kashmir, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan
and now, in particular, Iraq.
Of
special utility are 3 policy leverage points discussed at
length by Richardson: meeting the needs and expectations of
young men, increasing police effectiveness, and prioritizing
business community involvement.
Political
leaders often say they 'had no choice' when implementing policies
such as the US invasion of Iraq or earlier Sri Lankan government
interventions, yet this is rarely true. Multiple choices are
usually available, and the longer the time horizon, the greater
the range of choices. Paradise Poisoned demonstrates that
deadly conflict and terrorism are both predictable and preventable.
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Paradise
Poisoned
