The Foreign Service Journal, April 2008

costs of conflict (he puts them at $100 billion per conflict), Collier promotes an activist approach to conflict pre- vention. He correctly notes the human costs of failure to intervene (e.g., the 1994 genocide in Rwanda), and observes that successful interven- tion need not be hugely expensive: a small, capable force with freedom of action can establish and maintain peace, as the U.K. achieved in Sierra Leone in May 2000, bolstering the Nigerian-led United Nations force. But he acknowledges that countries other than the U.S., Britain and France need to assume a greater share of this burden. While his prescriptions may not in all cases be politically achievable, Collier has written a persuasive book that deserves policymakers’ attention. It certainly got mine. Ladd Connell, an FSO since 1986, covers development policy issues in the Office of Development Finance. The views expressed herein are those of the author only and do not neces- sarily represent those of the Depart- ment of State. 50 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 8 B O O K S One common characteristic of the world’s poorest 50 countries is that nearly three-quarters of their population are in, or have recently been through, a civil war.