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Point of View Program OverviewThe program at Point of View will be three fold: Practice. Point of View will enable parties with deep differences to engage in conflict resolution and reconciliation processes through dialogue, negotiation, mediation, and strategic planning. The site will accommodate day meetings, workshops, conferences, day and overnight retreats, events, private dialogues, and international meetings. Teaching. Point of View will anchor educational programs for students and professionals in advanced theory and method for conflict resolution. Workshops, seminars, certificate programs and short courses will provide venues for learning. Research. Point of View will... |
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Solving the Problems with PSWs The Future of Dialogue and Problem-Solving WorkshopsThe Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), in cooperation with the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program at American University, held a one-day workshop titled "The Future of Dialogue and Problem Solving Workshops" at Point of View. The workshop was held on Friday April 25, 2008, and was organized by Professors Ron Fisher at AU and Christopher Mitchell and Nadim Rouhana from ICAR. As a first in a planned series of workshops on improving the state of theory and practice in the methods of dialogue and problem solving, the workshop emerges from an interest in cultivating the next generation of practitioners for problem solving workshops (PSWs) and dialogues. The workshop was intended to assess the... |
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Nuclear Nonproliferation at POVMarch 15, 2008, at Point of View, saw the second session of a small task group set up to discuss the organizational capacity of the United States to deal with the increasing challenges in the field of nuclear nonproliferation. The spread of nuclear weapons has become an even more important issue with the increasing number of actual and potential nuclear armed states and the likely "privatisation" of nuclear capabilities in non-governmental hands. The task group was convened by Ambassador Norman Wulf, Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation from 1999-2002, and Professor Barclay Ward, a long time adviser to the former Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and to the Department of State. It was hosted by... |
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ICAR's 25th Anniversary CelebrationMay 14, 2008, saw the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) celebrating it first 25 years with a gathering of over fifty faculty, staff, advisers, and alumni, at Point of View for an evening of stories and reminiscences of the early days when GMU's new Masters program was being taught at the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), which a few years later became the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CCAR). Prominent among those present were members of the original Advisory Board that, together with Ed and Helen Lynch, helped to launch the... |
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Point of View Programming in Full Swing Above: Birds-eye view image showing a complete installation of the Point of View master design In the seclusion of Belmont Bay, the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) is building a research and retreat complex, the first in the world dedicated to conflict analysis and resolution. Nestled within 40 acres of pristine woodlands, Point of View is just 25 miles south of Washington D.C. and overlooks the spectacular 2,200-acre Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, allowing parties in conflict to engage in the critical work of peacebuilding with privacy and safety. Boostered by a $5 million commitment by the state of Virginia... |
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Research Projects Move to POVThe Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) is moving its research to Point of View (PoV) now that the Lynch House on the site has been reconfigured to include a small conference room, seminar rooms, and offices for the faculty and for visitors. One of the first to make the move from ICAR's Arlington offices is the "Local Zones of Peace" (ZoPs) project (photos below), which maintains its focus on local peace communities and the "Laboratories of Peace" in Colombia, and on the zones of peace on Mindanao in the Philippines. The ZoPs Working Group has held several "brainstorming" meetings down at Point of View and it is planned to move all the research material for the project down to the Lynch House during this summer. Members of the Group are currently working on a number of new articles intended for publication in a special issue... |
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Creating Consciousness Within Conflict Resolution CurriculumThe Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) held a one day symposium at Point of View on April 7, 2008, on "Consciousness and Conflict Resolution". The event featured presentations by ICAR Faculty Andrea Bartoli, Susan Allen Nan, Jamie Price, and Solon Simmons. The presentations stimulated lively discussion among additional participating ICAR Faculty, ICAR Advisory Board Members, ICAR doctoral students, the ICAR Director, faculty from other universities, and leading conflict resolution practitioners. A generous grant from the One Foundation made the symposium, and the research that informed it, possible. Susan Allen Nan presented a research paper arguing that at its core, conflict resolution is about... |
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Status of the "State of the Field" Plotted Out at Point of ViewOn November 30, 2007, the Point of View: Center for Advanced Studies in Conflict Dynamics and Intervention hosted a workshop titled "Towards Defining the State of the Field: A Research Agenda for Conflict Resolution". The workshop, organized by Professors Nadim Rouhana and Andrea Bartoli at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University, brought together an impressive roster of scholars, practitioners, students, and guests. The workshop's main objective was to help further define the boundaries of the field of conflict resolution, sharpen its definition, and set a research agenda for the field. The daylong workshop consisted of three panels, two hours each, and began with... |