Welcome to Peace and Conflict Resolution!

Dear Peacemakers,

The road from war to peace is a puzzling one and for those who struggle along it, it is seldom clear where and when the journey will come to an end. Have you ever wondered

- what are the problems encountered by protagonists attempting to achieve a cessation of violence?

- what role third parties (negotiators, mediators) can play in trying to persuade antagonists to stop fighting and come to the negotiation table?

- what does it take to promote truth, trauma healing and reconciliation in war-torn and deeply divided communities?

We are embarking on a semester-long academic journey together during which you will acquire new knowledge and lasting life experiences. You will meet top leaders, diplomats, negotiators, and ordinary people who have devoted considerable time to bringing peace to the conflict we will unfold; and you will learn what it is like to live in a contested society. You will meet people who have suffered profoundly: some have emerged from these experiences with determination to make sure such things will not happen again. You will begin to find your own place within that community of peacemakers and peacebuilders that is so much needed in this world.

The seminar is the core component of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program (IPCR) and is the equivalent of two courses (eight credits). The seminar will provide you with analytical skills in investigating the dynamics and modalities of international and deep-rooted social and identity-type conflicts. It includes a theoretical overview of contemporary conflict resolution perspectives and approaches developed during the post-WWII, post-Cold War and post-September 11 eras. It examines the role and impact of third party interveners (such as mediators, negotiators and others) in bringing former enemies to the table and eventually assisting them towards transforming their relationships. It provides you with multiple lenses to understand and analyze the decision-making procedures of the parties during various phases of escalation, de-escalation and termination (peacekeeping, peacemaking, peace-building and sustainable reconciliation). We will be looking at exemplary case studies of efforts to terminate conflict and negotiate for peace, such as the cases of Sudan, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, and Colombia, in addition to the case studies of Bosnia and Cyprus that we visit every semester.

A three week travel experience to Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia (Fall semester) and Cyprus, Greece and Turkey (Spring semester) will provide you with a firsthand experience in understanding the various peacemaking and peacebuilding dynamics of long-term and sustainable peace and reconciliation among former enemies. The trip provides you with excellent opportunities to meet with top political leaders from all sides of the conflict, including briefings by United Nations and European Union diplomats, academics, researchers and ordinary citizens whose lives have been affected in conflict zones.

You will learn from their perspectives how various roadblocks en route to peace have constrained their efforts for a political settlement and reconciliation. Above all, your fresh ideas as conflict analysts and prospective peacebuilders are needed in Bosnia and Cyprus, as well as in other parts of the world, and in your own communities, to help find the way forward for people in their quest to better understand one another and coexist peacefully.

Peace,

Eleftherios A. Michael