Considered one of the most important books in Peace Studies, Preparing for Peace by Dr. John Paul Lederach has recently been translated into Arabic by Noor Ghazi, a member of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies. The title is now printed and available in Iraq.
A renowned peace studies scholar, Lederach is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in the field of conciliation and conflict mediation. He has provided consultation for peacebuilding efforts in Somalia, Northern Ireland, Colombia, the Basque Country, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Nepal and in East and West Africa. With an emphasis on the exchange involved in negotiation, Lederach details mediation and resolution techniques in the book, drawing on his own experiences from negotiations around the world.
Translation of the book was part of a multi-faceted peacebuilding project in Iraqi higher education, implemented by the Al-Amal Association in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme and Innsbruck University in Austria, including peace workshops for youth as well as the development of peace studies programs in three major Iraqi universities.
In 2019, translator Noor Ghazi was requested by the Al-Amal Association to offer peacebuilding workshops to students in Iraq. “Iraqi youth are very ambitious,” Ghazi reflected. “I have seen how interested they are in learning about conflict transformation and peacebuilding.” Following this work, the association invited Ghazi to translate Preparing for Peace.
Preparing for Peace is considered to be the ninth book in the field of peace studies translated into Arabic and is an important addition to the field of peace studies in the Middle East. “Today, the Middle East is in an urgent need for peace after years of conflict and war,” shared Ghazi. “The rebuilding and the most successful long-term plan for peacebuilding starts with education. Thus, implementing peace studies in Iraq will help with conflict transformation, mediation and negotiation.”
Noor Ghazi is an international peace activist. She was born in Baghdad, Iraq, immigrating to the United States as a refugee in 2008. She is currently a Lecturer of Arabic in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as an instructor of Arabic and Humanities at Durham Technical Community College. Ghazi has received a course development grant from the Consortium to develop a humanities course on the Modern Middle East at Durham Technical Community College and has been invited as a guest speaker at Consortium events.