Imagine : Reflections on peace

When battlefield prowess and political manipulation are not enough to achieve peace through victory, we summon our best and brightest to negotiate an end; we celebrate peace settlements; and we give prizes, if not to victors, then to visionaries. We exalt peace as a human achievement, and justly so. But the rewards of peace are elusive for the men and women who live in the post-conflict societies of our time. Why is it so difficult to make a good peace when it is so easy to imagine? That is the question behind Imagine: Reflections on Peace.

They talk about it…

“For anyone who has consumed narratives of war and violence, who has gazed into the whirlpools of history, who craves beautiful writing and life-changing images, Imagine is an essential book.”
— Mark Danner, author of Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War

“This magnificent collection of photography and narrative gives us a searing portrayal of war-torn places in the aftermath of violence. The result is a stirring meditation on peace as an unfinished project, precariously poised between memory and forgiveness.”
— Michael J. Sandel Political Philosopher, Harvard University, and author of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?

“The major problem with war is that those who engage in it do not usually appreciate all the consequences. They rejoice at the ease of destruction, forgetting the difficulties of construction. The strength of this book is that it allows us to go beyond the dialectic of passion and reason, opening up a path for us: to fight war, we must actually imagine it. Thanks Imagine : Reflections on Peace. ”
— Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister, President of the Leaders for Peace NGO.

“There are no good wars but there is bad peace. This book is unique in that it brings together perspectives on the return to peace from all continents. It illuminates them with striking photographs, many of which are in the blurred zone between war and peace. Imagine: Reflections on Peacethus perfectly illustrates the fragile and complex nature of socio-political transitions, but also the joys of a return to normalcy. ”
– Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research.

« Sur 400 pages, des récits percutants, des témoignages bouleversants, des reportages et analyses brillants pour nous accompagner dans la compréhension de situations très complexes. Le tout lancé, nourri et rythmé par 200 photos de l’époque de la guerre et d’aujourd’hui. » Lire l'article complet >

«  Nous, photographes, sommes des passeurs d’histoires et nous œuvrons à mettre les puissants face à leurs responsabilités, peu importent la manière et le média. […] » Lire l'article complet >

Essays by :

Jon Lee Anderson
Martin Fletcher
Elvis Garibovic
Justice Richard Goldstone
Philip Gourevitch
Elizabeth D. Herman
Chris Klatell et Gilles Peress
Gary Knight
Predrag Peđa Kojović
Anthony Loyd
Margarita Martinez
Monica McWilliams
Avila Kilmurray
Padraig O’Malley
Marie O’Reilly
Jonathan Powell
Samantha Power
Mira Sidawi
Sophary Sophin
Jon Swain
Dydine Umunyana
Robin Wright

Photographers :

Stephen Ferry
Ron Haviv
Gary Knight
Don McCullin
Roland Neveu
Gilles Peress
Jack Picone
Nichole Sobecki
Nicole Tung

Exhibition at Prix Bayeux des correspondants de guerre, November 2020