March 2008, Volume 2, Issue 2.

For over 20 years, the Advisory Board of the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) has championed the work of ICAR's faculty and students. The Board is comprised of leaders from the legal, business, non-profit, academic, diplomatic, and philanthropic worlds, as well as ICAR alumni. These individuals have provided an array of networking, funding and mentoring opportunities for ICAR. In addition, these well-established professionals give of their time and resources to improve ICAR's scholarship funds, mentoring opportunities, and outreach opportunities.

Over the years, several distinguished individuals have chaired the Board: Edwin Lynch, a real estate developer and Point of View (POV) donor; Drucie French, who...

On January 29, the Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CAR) undergraduate program participated in the Climate Change Teach-In at Mason's Fairfax Campus. The event featured Mason professors, researchers and notable environmental speakers, such as Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. The CAR portion of the teach-in offered participants a conflict perspective on climate change as well as an opportunity to talk about the complexities of climate change in a facilitated discussion setting. Sandy Ruckstuhl, ICAR Ph.D. candidate, and Dr. Susan F. Hirsch, CAR Program Director, opened by highlighting the physical effects and social...

With the United States Congress deadlocked, and a tumultuous presidential campaign underway, the issue of illegal immigration has taken center stage. Both parties agree that the border should be secured and laws enforced but differ on how much should be militarized and how to deal with the people already here, living and working. The word "amnesty" has become a mark of shame thrust upon anyone who favors a more compassionate approach. The problem has been addressed predominantly at the symptomatic level, ignoring root causes of human migration and leaving out opportunities for long term satisfaction of all parties concerned.

Given the opportunity, people prefer to provide for themselves and their families inside their own communities and countries. Small improvements in Latin American economies would be enough to keep hundreds of thousands of people in their preferred...

After completing an M.S. degree at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) in 1992, Saira Yamin returned to her home in Pakistan and began working with development programs dedicated to alleviating poverty. Eventually, she began teaching conflict resolution and crisis management and used her expertise to develop additional conflict resolution curricula for her school. When speaking of her homeland, she is mindful of the fact that Pakistan, along with its neighbors in South Asia, has a unique social and political position. While the country makes a great effort to preserve its traditions, Saira believes that fruitful changes can be made and that she can influence the society by teaching others conflict...