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Rethink Needed in Virginia Mental Health ServicesThe tragedy of Seung Hui Cho’s murder and suicide has reverberated across the country, yet many of the responses to Virginia Tech’s disaster will not prevent similar incidents from occurring because they fail to address the complexity of the problem—in Virginia and other states—in dealing with persons with mental illness. The current system is deeply flawed and needs fixing. The recent Virginia Tech Review Panel’s report identifies 21 ways that things went wrong. Fingers are wagged at University officials—administrators, counselors, campus police, Dean of Students—for communication failures, lack of leadership, inadequate record keeping, confusion about possession of firearms on... |
French, Cumbie Visit ICARLongtime ICAR supporters Drucie French and Steve Cumbie visited ICAR this month to welcome Dr. Andrea Bartoli as the new Drucie French Cumbie Chair in Conflict Resolution. When Drucie and Steve established this Chair at ICAR nearly two decades ago, they became pioneers in providing long-term financial support to the fledgling field of conflict resolution. “The Drucie French Cumbie Chair is the perfect environment for the growth of integration of theory and practice,” said Dr. Bartoli, who was named to the post in July, 2007 after a two-year search. “I am honored to be working in this capacity and contributing to the study and practice of peacemaking.” Drucie was chair of the ICAR Board of Advisors and great friend of Ed Lynch. For more than a decade, she was intimately involved in ICAR’s work, familiar with faculty and students, and well-versed in... |
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Dr. Andrea Bartoli: Excerpts from the Welcome Reception AddressICAR 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... |
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ICAR Launches New Online Forum Over 300 ICAR Members RegisteredThe new ICAR Community Network and Forum was launched on August 31st and within three weeks, over 300 members of the ICAR community have joined. This new online forum is based upon infrastructure offered by ning.Com and features a popular social networking format with robust user generated content. Users are able to share text, photos, videos, and more in a variety of contexts such as individual user pages, blogs, forum discussions, and within groups. Groups have been created within the network for the faculty, GSCS (Graduate Students in Conflict Studies), the alumni chapter, undergraduate program, certificate program, as well as for working groups, projects, specific courses and social activities. In total, there have been 33 groups created so... |
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ICAR'S First Annual Alumni Symposium Hosts Two-Day Conference for 100 GraduatesICAR celebrated its 25th year with an Alumni Symposium gathering over 100 alumni, current students, faculty and staff for two days of panel presentations, discussion and networking. 12 panels brought alumni practice and experience into the spotlight on topics such as teaching, civic planning, public policy, career development, water conflict and using collaborative technologies. Current ICAR faculty moderated each panel made up of two to four alumni or current students sharing expertise and sparking discussion. This year’s symposium was the first time ICAR had hosted such an event, brining together alumni of all the different degree programs. After 25 years of excellence in teaching, the ICAR alumni community has grown to over 500 alumni,... |
Upcoming ICAR Community EventsFor more info on events, emailjlock1@gmu October 14-17: October 22: October 27: November 8: November 17: |
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Recent ICAR Op-Eds and Letters to the EditorBiofuels are Helpful but no Panacea for Relieving America’s Dependence on Oil Congo Must be Wary of Chinese Deals Pioneers Can Secure Our Future The U.S., India and the Elusive 123 Deal |
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News NetworkDisplacement, Identity and Violence As Iraq grows more violent, there is less attention paid to how the ongoing violence affects how people live, eat, sleep and even breathe. There are discussions about allocating the resources, remapping the borders, making new borders between sectarian groups, displacing people, putting troops here and training Iraqis there, giving money to these groups and cutting money from those and so on. These tactics were employed since the beginning of the war and it is apparent now that they were not so successful. In fact, there are alternative ways to soften the conflict in Iraq without The New York Times article by Sabrina Tavernise [September 17th, 2007] covers the rather untouched fields of the Iraq conflict. One can conclude that dividing an entire country neighborhood... |
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New BookSocial Identity and Conflict Structures, Dynamics, and Implications Book Description |
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Ivan Sascha SheehanIvan Sascha Sheehan, a visiting professor at ICAR and a recent PhD graduate of the institute, is spotlighted this month for his groundbreaking work in evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. counter terrorism strategies. Despite the proliferation of terrorism and counter terrorism literature, few analysts, have conducted quantitative research to understand the impact and efficacy of counter terrorism strategies. Dr. Sheehan is among the few. Last month, testifying in the Senate Russell Building for congressional staff, Sheehan highlighted the conclusions from his forthcoming book by Cambria Press: When Terrorism and Counter terrorism Clash: The War on Terror and the Transformation of Terrorist Activity. In the book (... |
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Maneshka EliatambyThis month, ICAR puts the spotlight on one of our Ph.D. students, Maneshka Eliatamby. Born in Sri Lanka, Maneshka was faced with an identity conflict growing up with parents of different ethnic backgrounds, her father, Tamil and her mother, Singhalese. Her awareness of war came at the early age of just 4 years in learning about the war between the Sri Lankan Government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Upon arriving at ICAR, one of the first faculty members she met was Dr. Dennis Sandole. Maneshka states that Dr. Sandole “shaped my thinking here [at ICAR]” that they both share similar interests in understanding the root causes of terrorism. As a Masters student at ICAR, she pursued her interest of... |
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ICAR Faculty Book Presention: US Ambassador to OSCEOn Thursday, July 5th, 2007, ICAR Professor Dennis J.D. Sandole made a presentation on his new book, Peace and Security in the Postmodern World. The OSCE and Conflict Resolution, at a reception held in his honor by Ambassador Julie Finley, Head of the U.S. Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The event took place at the Hof burg Palace in Vienna, Austria, site of negotiations and other meetings of the 56-country OSCE, the world’s most comprehensive regional security organization which helped facilitate the ending of the Cold War. “In his book, Dr. Sandole analyzes responses to questions he put to representatives of the various... |
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Celebrating 25 Years of Pioneering Theory, Research, and Practice at ICARFor 25 years, our faculty, students and alumni have addressed deep rooted conflicts wherever they occur in metropolitan Washington D.C., across the United States, and on the international stage. We have been leaders in the field since our founding: ICAR was one of the first groundbreaking “Theory Centers” funded by the Hewlett Foundation. We created the world’s first Master of Science and doctorate in conflict resolution, and we recently expanded our programs to serve undergraduate students and mid-career professionals. |