International Programs since 1924

Author: Dr. Hrach Gregorian Page 1 of 2

JAMS Foundation Grant Award Announcement

We are happy to announce that IWA has been awarded a two-year grant by the JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) Foundation for a project to provide conflict resolution training for children in some of the most challenged communities in Washington, DC.  IWA will partner with the DC-based community organization, Alliance of Concerned Men (ACM), to implement this project.

The project involves conflict resolution training for elementary school children to provide skill sets for the mitigation or resolution of disputes before they escalate into violence. Project objectives include development of a training manual and instruction by respected community trainers. A capstone element is a simulation of a conflict situation wherein students can put learning into practice in a controlled setting. This project builds on previous work done for older youth by IWA and ACM.

Dr. Michael Lund Presents Findings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

IWA Senior Associate, Dr. Michael Lund, gave two talks recently at a high-level conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference was attended by two hundred influential Ethiopians from the government, political parties and civil society. The conference was held to discuss how Ethiopia can build on the Prime Minister’s initial reforms to transition from its top-down political system to a more pluralistic and stable democracy. Lund presented findings from his recent research on how multi-ethnic developing countries can avoid the possible hazards of attempted political transitions, such as political violence, repression, civil war, mass atrocities, and state breakdown. The new President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde (the first woman to hold that position), gave the opening speech, and former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, was the conference keynote speaker. Several follow-up activities are planned to build momentum behind the reform effort. About this unusual opportunity, Lund noted, “I’m very grateful I could apply my research on peaceful transitions to help this great and beautiful country of 103 million people at this immensely critical moment in its history!”

IWA President Hrach Gregorian and Senior Associate George Irani present study on Lebanon’s displaced at ISA meeting in Toronto

IWA President HG and Senior Associate GI present study on Lebanon's displaced at ISA meeting in Toronto.

Alliance for Peacebuilding 2017 Annual Conference

Join the Alliance for Peacebuilding from October 11 to 13 at their 2017 Annual Conference in Washington, DC! Each year, the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s Annual Conference gathers together a diverse network of peacebuilders and provides them with the opportunity to share their achievements, insights, and, most importantly, visions for the future of peacebuilding. Early-bird registration for the conference is NOW OPEN through June 30; click here to register for the event. For additional information on the 2017 Annual Conference, including sponsorship opportunities and the opportunity to submit a workshop proposal for consideration, visit the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s website here.

US-Iran Relations in the Trump Era: Back to Confrontation? – Dr. Trita Parsi

“US-Iran Relations in the Trump Era: Back to Confrontation?”

The Institute of World Affairs @ RESOLVE is pleased to invite you to the first in its 2017 program of briefings, featuring:

Dr. Trita Parsi, President, National Iranian American Council

Foreign Policy Challenges for a New Administration – Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering

“Foreign Policy Challenges for a New Administration”

The Institute of World Affairs@RESOLVE is pleased to invite you to the first in its 2016 program of briefings, featuring Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering

Boko Haram, a Presidential Election, and the Price of Corruption in Nigeria

The Mouse that Roared

What is to be made of the recent crisis in Nigeria that pitted the outgoing government of Goodluck Jonathan against Boko Haram? How is it that a rebel group consisting of a core of some 7,000 to 10,000 fighters using mostly small arms and bombs has been able to resist, and often rout, the largest army in West Africa? Why has this conflict lasted for close to six years? Why was the presidential election scheduled for February 14 postponed for six weeks, and why in the interim were foreign mercenaries brought in to do battle with homegrown insurgents?

Reap the whirlwind: Climate change and terrorism

The dire predictions contained in the recently released UN climate change panel report are upon us. In Africa, the effects of climate change have stalled — and are reversing — generations of progress made against poverty and hunger.

The sad fate of Mohammed Morsi

History has again repeated itself as farce. This time, the protagonists were Mohammed Morsi and the head of Egypt’s armed forces, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. On June 22, the General advised the President to take immediate steps to defuse a situation that was quickly spiraling out of control, to initiate a national dialogue, inclusive of all the opposition movements, and to express a commitment to building bridges across a highly fissured political landscape.

Egypt’s hip-hop uprising

Egypt has just entered a tunnel darker than the one that, just a year ago, produced Mohammed Morsi and ushered in the short, sad reign of his Freedom and Justice Party. With the military’s ouster of the country’s only freely elected president, a new era begins with little promise of lasting solutions to the problems that plague the country.

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