Includes bibliographical references.

1. Introduction: Parliaments as Peacebuilders / Rick Stapcnuurst, Mitchell O'Brien and Niall Johnston -- 2. The Nexus Among Parliaments, Poverty Reduction, and Conflict Prevention / Mitchell O'Brian -- 3. Making Parliament More Representative / Mitchell O'Brien -- Annex. Management of the 2005 Afghan Parliamentary Elections -- 4. Advancing Parliament's Legislative Function in Conflict-Affected Societies / Mitchell O'Brien -- 5. Creating a Shared Parliament in a Divided Society: Lessons from the Northern Ireland Experience / Lord Alderdice -- 6. Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight to Prevent Conflict and Reduce Poverty / Mitchell O'Brien and Rick Stapenhurst -- 7. Parliamentary Oversight of Defense in South Africa / Robert J. Griffiths -- 8. Social Accountability - Citizens, Civil Society, and the Media Working with Parliament to Prevent Conflict and Reduce Poverty / Mitchell O'Brien -- 9. The Role of the Rwandan Parliament in Conflict Prevention / Robert T. Nakamura -- 10. Gender Dimensions in Conflict-Affected Countries: Tbe Role of Parliaments / Meenakshi Dhar -- 11. Building Capacity to Manage Conflict and Change: Lessons From Thniland / Gregory Cran -- 12. Military Intervention in Thai Parliamentarv Democracy / Tarathong Thongswasdi -- 13. Broad Strategies for Parliament to Tackle Conflict and Promote Socioeconomic Equality / Mitchell O'Brien -- 14. Macroeconomic Challenges in Post-Conflict Countries and the Role of Parliaments / Raj Nallari -- 15. Regional Parliamentary Peacebuilding and Engagement with International Organizations / Niall Johnston -- 16. Toward an Active Participation in Foreign Policy - The Role of the Finnish Parliament in International Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management / Teija Tiilikainen -- Annex. The Finnish Parliament in the 21st Century / Seppo Tiitinen -- 17. Conclusion / Frannie Leautier.