The countries of China, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand are brought together for the first time in an integrated and systematic work outlining each country's cultural themes, cultural practices, and preferred conflict resolution mechanisms. The new "ADR" processes and centuries-old mediation and conciliation systems used in these countries are compared with the evolving mediation and ADR systems, including facilitation in North America and the West. This comprehensive study analyzes the cultural "themes" commonly found in these countries' religious conflicts; and presents over 30 different stories, case studies, and conflict resolution scenarios from the region. Culture, Conflict, and Mediation in the Asian Pacific looks beyond traditional regional boundaries to group Hawai'i with the nine Asian countries as an example of mediation systems and cultural influence on the most "Asian" of the U.S. states (over 2/3 of the population of Hawai'i is Asian-American).

"[An] efficient and absorbing book....Barnes' tour of the Asian Pacific and its disputing and mediation styles is eye-opening....Focusing on China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Hawaii...Barnes explains a lot....It succeeds as a practical guide, not just to 'mediation', but to many ordinary social and business encounters....Culture, Conflict, and Mediation in the Asian Pacific has a greal deal to offer from many different points of view, both scholarly and practical." - Asian Criminology, December 2008

"Chapters focus upon the practices of each nation in turn, and over thirty case studies robustly illuminate the points and suggestions that can be learned for global application. An advanced reference and resource especially recommended for study and reference by aspiring and professional mediators, whether in law, social work, or other fields." - Midwest Book Review