Despite intensive international efforts in the area of conflict prevention,there is still little argument about how civil wars (as well as interstate wars) might best be averted - and the many attempts at preventive action have not been strikingly successful. The authors of this book offer a new perspective, arguing that such efforts could be more effective if they incorporated the private sector. After establishing a historical and analytical context, Wenger and Mockli examine the qualities that the business sector could bring to bear in the prevention of deadly intrastate conflict. They then propose specific ways in which businesses might be engaged in prevention efforts and show why it is in the interests of corporations to participate. Calling for a multisectoral approach - involving states, international orgasnizations, NGOs and corporations -they demonstrate that the business sector has both the means and themotivation to ensure the longterm success of prevention efforts.