Dr. Andrea Bartoli: Excerpts from the Welcome Reception Address

ICAR has a long tradition. It might not seem so to so many here but for the relatively new field of conflict resolution ICAR is landmark. With rank and prestige comes responsibility. The field is in need of redefinitions, of new conceptual frameworks, of new explorations. No other school or institute is as well placed as ICAR to serve this process well, collaboratively, rigorously, effectively. No other institute has the same reach, history and location. No other institute can count alumni and faculty with a dedicated focus. In a moment in which we are moving away from techniques, the field requires a renewed sense of engagement of other disciplines while developing its own core understanding of how conflict occurs, and of the processes associated with the emergence of peace.

I am convinced that here with so many dedicated colleagues we will succeed in redefining the methods that will help us to generate robust theories and best practices. Peace is not an easy dream: it is a profound desire of the human spirit and a need of multitudes, made poorer by the violence and destructiveness of the war. Peace doesn’t come in withdraw, in a fearful fleeing from the dangers of history. Rather it comes from courageously engage the powerful and the powerful to be, making politics shrewdly, effectively, commit tingly. Thanks.