#SCARSUMMER Recap
For many people, the start of summer symbolizes a period when they put on hold all school-related activities so that they can embark on other fun and exciting endeavors. Individuals at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR) are no different, but what tends to set them apart is how they combine the simple pleasures of relaxation with their passion for peacebuilding work. Summer 2015 was no exception, as it was loaded with much activity for the members of the S-CAR community.
The summer kicked off with a number of students accompanying PhD Candidate Alison Castel to Colombia. The field experience trip was designed to enable students to examine the social worlds that emerge in the aftermath of violent conflict in Colombia, especially those that have to do with structural inequality, memory, narrative, gender, trauma, culture, and identity. “I wanted students to pay special attention to the meanings that were being made about violence, peace, and justice in the region,” Alison said. A student on the trip, Asha Noor, also commented: “It was challenging in many ways – emotionally and physically. However, the interactions we had, the people we met, and the experiences we had mitigated all of these challenges. It was the best field experience thus far and I am truly grateful to have been a part of it.”
Another field experience that some students and faculty at S-CAR were part of was the Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership Program, which took place in both Indonesia and the U.S. The program, sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, seeks to promote civic engagement and participation between Indonesia and U.S. youth through cross-cultural exchanges and learning while increasing mutual understanding between the two countries. Alex Cromwell, an S-CAR PhD candidate and co-director of the program, said, “I was inspired by the meaningful relationships the participants created and their commitment to becoming leaders in their communities and working towards positive social change as they return home from the program.”
While members of the S-CAR community were engaged in fieldwork experience, others worked on publications. PhD candidate Roi Ben Yehuda wrote an article in the Daily Beast titled How Trump Gives Negotiation a Bad Name. In his piece, he called into question Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s assertions that his “ultra aggressive negotiating style” would make him a great president. Roi disagreed with this claim: “This rhetoric assumes that negotiations are inherently a zero-sum game. And, while such an adversarial and power-based approach makes sense within a Machiavellian worldview, it goes against decades of research into the art and science of negotiation.” Roi also had another article published in The Times of Israel titled A Picture of Hope and Courage. In the article, he comments on a photo depicting two Palestinian men shielding a female Israeli policewoman from a violent confrontation in the West Bank. The significance of the moment was captured on camera and as Roi noted, “our world has become hyper-saturated with images of carnage and destruction, and most of us have become inured to their power. Yet every once in a while something manages to arrest our attention and penetrate our stoicism.”
David Alpher, PhD alumnus and adjunct professor at S-CAR who teaches a course on global conflict and terrorism, wrote an article in The Conversation titled Why Defeating ISIS with Military Might is Starry Eyed Idealism. David argues that U.S. strategy of “bombing ISIS out of existence” would fail because “this rhetoric is far too idealistic to work in reality. Getting rid of ISIS and groups like it certainly requires seriousness and a willingness to get hard work done – but that doesn’t just mean preparing to get bloody. It means we need to be realistic and unafraid to say - 'Our strategy is to build peace.'” David’s thought-provoking piece was included in the Aspen Institute’s Five Best Ideas of the Day on July 14, 2015 and was also featured on TIME magazine. The article was then retweeted by the Queen of Jordan. David also wrote another article titled The ISIS takeover of Ramadi Means Hard Choices Face the Iraqi and U.S. Governments.
Other publications over written over the summer were Tehama Lopez Bunyasi’s article titled ‘Breaking Bad’ in Black and White: What Ideological Deviance Can Tell Us about Construction of ‘Authentic’ Racial Identities, and a book chapter titled Brown Ballots in the Buckeye State; Arthur Romano’s article titled Police Should Put Away the Military Gear and Build Connections with Young People; and Karina Korostelina’s articles titled Reproduction of Conflict in History Teaching in Ukraine: A social Identity Theory Analysis and Crimean Tatars From Mass Deportation to Hardships in Occupied Crimea.