David A. Hamburg—doctor, teacher, hostage negotiator, presidential advisor, and more—has seen a lot in his 77 years and has a message for the 21st century: An ounce of prevention is worth many pounds of cure when it comes to deadly international conflict. To explore how the model of preventive medicine may be practically applied to political violence, Hamburg created the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. This book is the capstone of the Commission's extensive efforts and covers situations as widely ranging as World War II's Holocaust, recent terrorist attacks in the U.S., and the War in Iraq.

As Hamburg details, the prevention of war is built on key pillars including democratic governance, economic development, and nonviolent problem solving in dangerous situations. International cooperation and strong leadership at every level are essential. Perhaps most important, a civil society that embraces differences rather than exploiting them is an evolving need. In No More Killing Fields, David A. Hamburg combines the best of long personal experience, multifaceted scholarship, and acute prognosis to point the way toward peace in the 21st century.