Coming to the Northeast, Gurudas Das argues that conflicts arise out of non-fulfillment of the democratic aspirations of the ethnic minorities. He favours developing a working formula for inter-segmental co-operation, and the state playing a pre-emptive role. Kunja Medhi’s paper runs along an idealist plane, and presses that solution to violence in the region can be found within the Gandhian discourse of peace and morality. Anuradha Dutta highlights the role of women while asserting that women’s participation, not only as peacemakers, would expand and consolidate democratic politics in the region. Anindita Dasgupta’s paper ‘The War Was in My Backyard’ places the primacy of human security while negotiating with the problem of ethnic conflict. Wasbir Hussain and Gautam Chakma discuss different aspects of conflict in Arunachal Pradesh. Hussain says that Arunachal today is more than a resting place for rebel armies, disturbing the peace of the otherwise ‘peaceful’ state. Gautam Chakma’s paper, ‘Native vs Chakma’, outlines the conflicts between the natives and the immigrants, and also highlights the positive contributions of the migrants. Sajal Nag discusses conflict in Meghalaya between the tribal and the non-tribal. He argues for the use of the term ‘ethnic’ in place of ‘tribe’ since the basis of mobilization has been on ethnicity.

Bhagat Oinam in ‘Dynamics of Ethnic conflict in Manipur’ asserts that ‘semi causal connectives’ are possibly drawn by one conflict from another. He opines that any attempt for solution to the conflicts must take note of ‘the mode of development of collective consciousness in various tribes and communities’ and ‘the land as the material factor’. T.T. Haokip in ‘The Kuki-Naga Conflict’ addresses the crisis of identity arising out of this conflict (among the Kukis), and the government’s apathetic approach towards the internally displaced population. He proposes a well-defined ethnic territory as a solution to the ethnic conflicts. Subir Bhaumik grapples with the issue of conflict emanating out of development projects in Tripura. He underscores conflicts caused by displacement and alienation due to the construction of the Gumti Hydel Project. He argues for ‘decommissioning’ of the dam to end the ethnic conflicts.

Udayon Mishra and Kaka D. Iralu deal with two aspects of the Naga issue. Iralu attempts to develop a conceptual understanding of ethnic identity and national identity in relation to Nagaland and India. Mishra avers the involvement of civil society in resolving state-people conflict therein.

The book is an important contribution to find solutions in the trouble-torn region. The only drawback of the publication is the lack of a concluding chapter, to tie up the loose ends, to develop a new frame of analysis on peace and conflict study or to develop work plans in the future. Yet, the inclusion of an appendix on ‘civil society’ in South Asia provides useful reference.