 |
US Transportation System Found Structurally ViolentFor the past few years, debate has been raging among Virginia officials on how to solve the state's transportation crisis. The governor offers plans to build more roads and improve public transit. Some legislators and community activists object that the plans are too expensive and would require large tax increases. Others believe that they do not go far enough towards establishing a long-term transportation policy. There are crucial issues missing in this discussion—issues that conflict analysis and resolution may help to illuminate. To most in Richmond, the problem can be summed up quickly: too many automobiles on too few roads. The policies that public officials suggest reflect pressures brought to bear by a number of influential groups,... |
 |
Army Chaplaincy Comes to ICARThis fall inaugurates the launch of the US Army War College Senior Service Chaplain Fellowship Program at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). This fellowship is intended to expand Army Chaplaincy advisory capabilities, supporting both the field commanders in their need to understand and intervene non-violently in religious conflict, but also supporting the Army's Chaplaincy in their effort to develop curriculum and case research toward enhancing the education of Army chaplains. These twinned and layered goals, serving the needs of commanders in the field of operation, as well as serving the needs of the chaplains, who in turn serve the needs of service men and women, are the foundation of the research program for the fellowship... |
 |
Faculty Development Initiatives Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings: West Bank and LiberiaWhat is the role of higher education in the midst and the aftermath of civil wars? When a majority of the most talented leave the country or are killed, or are denied access by closing borders, what is the impact on the next generation? With limited resources, is it possible to make long-term changes? These are some questions that guided my involvement, with Gene Rice, in two initiatives that focused on the role of higher education and specifically faculty development (also known as capacity building) as a sustainable intervention strategy. They took place in the West Bank and in Monrovia, Liberia. With no doctorate-level and only a few masters-level programs in any of the dozen Palestinian universities throughout the territories, and with the... |
 |
ICAR's Fall Welcome Dinner Chronicles 25-Year HistoryThe Welcome Dinner this year was a huge success with 137 new students, faculty, staff, alumni, advisory board members and donors in attendance. Guests were officially welcomed by the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) Director Sara Cobb after a social session of light hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Sadly, this is Sara's last year here at ICAR. She eloquently and appropriately used the dinner as a forum to reflect on her time here as the director of the Institute. Her comments were heartfelt and spot on for the occasion. She incorporated the faculty in her address to provide an overview of the evolution of... |
Upcoming ICAR Community EventsFor more info on events, email [email protected] |
|
Recent ICAR Articles, Op-Eds and LettersA Whole, Different View Cyprus Could Learn from Malta Energy Is at the Heart of Many Recent Conflicts The Omar El-Bashir Indictment: A Precedent for Global Accountability? Obama, McCain Don't Grasp Roots of Pakistan's Instability US Airstrike in Pakistan Congress Must Extend Tax Credits for Renewable and Efficient Sources |
|
 |
ICAR Boasts Two Fulbright ScholarsPublished 08/25/08, Mason Gazette. The number of Mason scholars winning the Fulbright award continues to increase. One Mason scholar was selected in 2006 and three in 2007. One Fulbright winner is Nicole Goodrich, a current Ph.D. student in Mason's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR). She will travel to Sierra Leone to perform field research for her dissertation and volunteer work for two NGOs. Leaving in September, she expects to be there through next June. "I'll be looking at gender violence during the civil war there and trying to determine predictors of the use of sexual violence in a civil-political war context. I hope to interview male and female survivors of the war—both perpetrators and survivors of sexual violence—and listen to their commonalities." Goodrich will also be volunteering for NGOs in the cities of Freetown... |
 |
Sarah HerschlerFirst-year ICAR M.S. student Sarah Herschler is eager to understand what it is about our society that makes people so stressed. Her interest in human behavior stems from her father's study of psychology. Following his footsteps, Sarah started as a psychology major at George Mason, but quickly changed it when she discovered sociology. Sarah began to connect the dots between personal problems of the individual and collective problems of the society and was able to use this "systems thinking" to tackle societal issues. As an undergraduate minoring in conflict analysis and resolution, Sarah soon realized the usefulness of conflict theories when the tragedy at Virginia Tech struck. During discussions in Dr.... |
 |
Khadidiatou LusbyAs a native of Senegal, Khadidiatou (Khady) Lusby was drawn to the CAR Undergraduate Program by a combination of factors. As a student and young adult working in rural Senegal, Khady was exposed to conflicts revolving around ethnicity, language, religion and gender. Prior to entering Mason in 2006, Khady conducted fieldwork with the National Census Bureau in Senegal teaching couples about family planning in rural areas. During her fieldwork, Khady developed strategies to conduct dialogues between men and women regarding the use of family planning as an acceptable practice in their culture. She also had similar experiences working with the World Bank and USAID. Another factor... |
 |
Palestinian, Israeli Peacemakers at ICARWith wisdom beyond their physical years, Eliyahu and Ghassan, arm-in-arm, rocked in unison. Their self-made music, preserved in the depths of their soul, tapped and floated about the room elucidating the experience for us all. It seemed only at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), protected within the walls of academia, could this free flow of heart-to-heart disclosure be witnessed. But no, Eliyahu McLean and Ghassan Manasra, Jew and Arab respectively, effect change through human connection throughout Israel, Palestine, and the world. Their repertoires of successful peacebuilding accomplishments confirm that not only within the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution does this magic unfold. Eliyahu McClean is the... |