Abe&act--A method of anaiysis capable of predicting accmntely the fracture behavior of a ~dj~tional composite laminate containing salty placed bufTer strips is presented. The analysis is based on a materials modeling approach using the classical shear-lag assumption to describe the stress transfer between fibers. Explicit fiber and matrix properties of the three regions are retained and changes in the laminate behavior as a function of the relative material properties, buffer strip width and initial crack length are discussed. As an example, for a notch (broken fibers) in a graphite/epoxy laminate, the results show clearly the manner in which to select the most &cient combination of bufler strip properties necessary to arrest the crack. Ultimate failure of the laminate after crack arrest can occur under increasing load, either by ~ntinu~ crack extension through the buffer strip, or by fiber breakage in the undamaged half-plane. That is, for certain choices of relative material properties and width, the crack can jump the buffer strip. For some typical hybrid laminates it is found that a buffer strip spacing to width ratio of about four to one is the most efficient.