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Barack Obama: A Conflict Resolution Friendly White House? Since his election and inauguration, it has been clear that Barack Obama, represents many things to many people, not only in the U.S., but worldwide as well. I experienced his global appeal when I was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and a Muslim Tamil Indian, who considers himself a member of Malaysia’s minority population, confided that he was exhilarated by Obama’s empowering maxim: “Yes, we can!" |
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Michael Shank Heads for the HillMichael Shank, ICAR’s Communications Director, bid farewell to the Institute to pursue a new challenge as the Communications Director for U.S. Representative Mike Honda from California. During Michael’s tenure at ICAR the institute made giant leaps forward in media presence and communications savvy. Among his many accomplishments, Michael is responsible for developing the ICAR News Network - ICAR’s online news and analysis portal. Michael designed, developed, and hosted Analyze This - ICAR’s weekly radio and online broadcast. These initiatives have helped expand ICAR’s reach, offering analysis on current conflicts that is accessible around the world. Michael also developed and published the ICAR Newsletter and assisted... |
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ICAR, ELI Partner for DialogueThe ICAR Undergraduate Program actively seeks ways to reach out across the George Mason community. Last fall, the Undergraduate Program collaborated with the English Language Institute (ELI) to create an experiential learning opportunity in cross-cultural communication and dialogue. CONF 202 Dialogue and Difference combined with ELI 089 Dialogue with Americans to offer a joint course focused on dialogue about the U.S. election and identity politics. Students from the two classes represented 15 different countries, with the majority of students from Korea, the United States, Sudan, China, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. The majors and areas of academic study represented in the class were equally diverse. “The diversity... |
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ICAR APT Team Off to Morocco M.S. and Ph.D Students Seek to Apply Theory to PracticeAs one of three options for graduation, ICAR M.S. students have the chance to participate in the Applied Practice and Theory (APT) program. Under the guidance and mentorship of a faculty member, this six-credit capstone aims to provide students with real-world application of the theories learned in the classroom. The Applied Practice and Theory program was developed in 1992 to create an opportunity for students to practice in the Conflict Resolution field with a safety net – a faculty member to counsel and mentor them as they face realistic conflicts in the community they are working in. Over the subsequent 17 years of APT team projects, a need was voiced for a similar program for students interested in comprehensive... |
Upcoming ICAR Community EventsFor more info on events, email Erica Soren, [email protected] Thursday, March 26, 2009 Guest Speaker: Sally Engle Merry, NYU Thursday, March 26, 2009 Guest Speaker: David Shasha Friday, March 27, 2009 Saturday, April 4, 2009 Thursday, April 16, 2009 |
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Point of View Hosts Georgia, South Ossetia PeacebuildersGeorge Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution hosted South Ossetian and Georgian civil society-based peace builders from December 16-19 at Point of View, the University's conflict resolution retreat facility at Mason Neck, VA. Susan Allen Nan, Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, planned the session and facilitated with Dr. Paula Garb and Laura Olsen. The meeting represents one of the first focused track two or citizen diplomacy initiatives since the August war disrupted Georgian-South Ossetian relations. The individuals in this track two meeting participated in their own personal capacity. During the meeting, they discussed the implications of the... |
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Ambassador Hill Gives CR LectureOn Monday, February 9th, Ambassador William Hill presented a public lecture on “The OSCE and Moldovan-Transdniestrian Conflict Resolution” in the Johnson Center Cinema. This lecture followed a discussion with the class CONF 495 Organizations and Actors in the Conflict Field. Ambassador Hill is a Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar and served two terms as the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, where he was charged with the negotiation of a political settlement to the Transdniestrian conflict and facilitation of the withdrawal of Russian forces, arms, and ammunition from Moldova. When the war erupted over South Ossetia in August, pitting Georgian, South Ossetian, and Russian military forces against each other in a five... |
Recent ICAR Articles, Op-Eds and Letters to the EditorWashington Also Needs to Change the Way it Engages Why Hamas Wants to Marginalize the PLO From Open Door to No-Go: Interpreting Iran’s Policy Toward Afghan Refugees The Ripe Moment for Peace is Over Obama, Change South Asia Policy Time for a New Start on Afghanistan Policy 20th Anniversary of UN GA Resolution 43/189: Specific Measures in Favour of Island Developing Countries |
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ICAR Student OpinionAt a recent symposium held at George Mason University, peacebuilders based in Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Moscow, and Washington D.C. considered the concept of Zones of Peace. While Georgian Minister for Reintegration Temuri Yakobashvili’s announcement this week of the Georgian initiative to declare Abkhazia a weapon-free zone was met with disdain by Russia and Abkhazia, there is merit to a much broader consideration of Zones of Peace. Beyond simply banning weapons, Zones of Peace are geographic areas where violence is limited and a culture of peace and tolerance is encouraged. Zones of Peace, already successful elsewhere, present promising prospects for the future of the South Caucasus, particularly if structured so as to be attractive to all involved. For example, if the Georgian government were to work towards making all of Georgia – not only Abkhazia-- a weapons-... |
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In Memoriam Henry C. Barringer: A Personal ReflectionIt is with great sadness that we at ICAR report that Henry C. Barringer, cocreator with the late Dr. Bryant Wedge of the “Center for Conflict Resolution,” which eventually became the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, passed away on January 14, 2009, at 88 years of age. Henry, a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer, was a delightful, generous individual with great vision for how the United States could be a force for positive peace in the world. It was this vision that enabled him and Bryant Wedge to work for the creation of a U.S. National Peace Academy in the 1970s and early 1980s, which eventually led to, in addition to the U.S. Institute of Peace, the establishment of CCR/ICAR in 1981. I am... |