The Peacemongers

The secret, sad and hopeful tale of how a novelist and the daughter of a dictator almost saved Europe from destroying Libya

In the spring of 2011, allied forces bombed Libya. At the same time, Henrik Thune and a few Norwegian diplomats secretly worked intensively to stop the war. The Peacemongers gives a unique insight into war and peace from a place we rarely have access to. In the book, we are present in Tripoli when dictator Gaddafi’s son learns that Libya will be bombed. We are present in Paris when Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre realizes that the major powers leading the war have no desire to negotiate peace. And in Istanbul when American diplomats let go of the last opportunity to talk with Gaddafi’s regime. From the inside, we get an account of how the story of the now-destroyed Libya could have taken a different direction. An account that is as exciting as a thriller, and gives unique insight into how Norwegian peace diplomacy is practiced.