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S-CAR is located only a few miles away from key symbols of US political power. That physical nearness invites a close working relationship, as S-CAR students and faculty members work and consult for various arms of the US government. Likewise, the S-CAR community is present the world over, including working in countries ruled by autocratic regimes. Yet, unlike other academic fields, conflict resolution is founded on a normative commitment to peacebuilding.
Does S-CAR's relationships with goverments -- particularly those that use violence to achieve political aims -- contradict those norms? When publicly engaging representatives of state (U.S. or other), how should we handle possible tensions between relationship-building and a committment to open and honest exchange? How does the S-CAR community choose between access to power and its values? In other words. what are the ethics of conflict analysis and resolution vis-à-vis state power? How should S-CAR fit into the "real world?"