Serious crimes—such as violent extremism, political violence, organized crime, and
corruption—fuel violent conflict and thwart peacebuilding efforts. Fragile states with
weak institutions and governance are unable to stem the tide of threats that serious
crimes pose to peace. The consequences are all too evident across the globe: countries
engulfed in political turmoil, conflicts that spiral into devastating wars, and tides
of refugees fleeing instability and violence.

Fighting Serious Crimes: Strategies and Tactics for Conflict-Affected Societies is an
invaluable resource for anyone battling serious crimes in societies seeking to avoid
conflict, to escape from violence, or to recover and rebuild. Packed with practical
guidance, this volume includes real-world examples from more than twenty of today’s
conflict zones, including Libya, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Colombia. All
the major challenges are covered, from initial assessment to legal and institutional
reform, investigation to prosecution, criminal intelligence to witness protection, the
use of international tribunals to the role of international military forces. The volume
draws on the firsthand experience of dozens of practitioners, distilling what they have
learned into clearly organized and highly readable text that is supplemented by checklists
and sidebars that help readers conduct assessments, identify international and
regional legal instruments (such as treaties), and complete a host of other key tasks.

Contributors: Elaine Banar • Adalbert Gross • Michael Hartmann • Deborah Isser • Andrew Mackay • Vivienne O’Connor • David C. Ralston • Colette Rausch • Thomas Stevenson  

Experts: Thomas Barfield • Kurt W. Bassuener • Hudson Benzu • Roberto Courtney • Felipe De La Torre • Christian De Vos • Fidelma Donlon • Michael J. Dziedzic • Charles Erdmann • Larry Gwaltney • Isabel Hight • Christiana Hoffman • Alex Innes • Goran Klemencic • Agnieszka Klonowiecka-Milart • Peter Korneck • Neil J. Kritz • Kenneth Lowrie • Leanne McKay • Joyce Kasee Mills • Marco Maria Monaco • Assad Mubarak • Maria Nystedt •Bruce Ohr • Bruce “Ossie” Oswald • Michael Platzer • David Reddin • Ali Saleem • Govind Prasad Thapa • Kim Thomas • Horst Tiemann • Catherine Volz • Abla Gadegbeku Williams • Gerard Winter