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Si茅 Center Engages in Study on Global Peace and Security

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Funding for study provided by two grants from the Carnegie Corporation

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罢飞辞听听from the Carnegie Corporation of New York are backing a distinct study into global peace and security by the听Si茅 Ch茅ou-Kang Center听for International Security and Diplomacy at the 快活app鈥檚听.

Funding for the grants, each totaling $1 million, is part of Carnegie鈥檚 鈥淏ridging the Academic-Policy Gap鈥 program, which is supporting two projects under the Si茅 Center study.

鈥淭he two grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York have helped us solidify a distinct study of global peace and security at the Si茅 Center,鈥 said听Deborah Avant, chair and director of the Si茅 Center. 鈥淥ur study focuses on the wide array of actors 鈥 state and non-state 鈥 that matter for global peace and security, and seeks to understand the many different dimensions that add up to peaceful communities.鈥

The first project 鈥 鈥淣onviolent Action in Violent Settings: Practices and Implications for Policy鈥 鈥 ended in 2016; the second 鈥 鈥淚nclusive Approaches to Violence Reduction, Peacebuilding, and Governance: Research and Implications for Practice鈥 鈥 continues through December 2018.

鈥淥ur first project created a data set of nonviolent actions during civil wars in Africa from 1990-2014. It included all actions meant either to tamp down violence or generate political or social change,鈥 Avant said. 鈥淲e also commissioned case studies of civil action by civilian groups, labor unions, businesses, international organizations, and local and transnational civil society groups in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Peru, Rwanda, Spain and Syria.鈥

Deborah Avant
Deborah Avant

Additionally, Avant said, the first project supported significant engagement by the research team with a variety of policy players, including government officials, corporate offices and resistance groups. As a result of the project, the Si茅 Center established a post-doctorate program focused on research regarding policy and understanding global security.

An upcoming book related to the research will focus on civil action by governments, civilians and armed groups, and how it can affect the course of a conflict, the degree of violence in different locales of a conflict, and the capacity to maintain relationships and trust in the midst of a conflict.

The second project is focused on inclusion, which is a key constitutive element of civil action, and its impacts on violence, peacebuilding, and governance.

According to Associate Dean of Research听Erica Chenoweth听and Assistant Professor听Marie Berry, this project consists of three research teams 鈥 one looking at gender inclusion and its impact on protests and peacebuilding; another collecting data with which to measure inclusion; and a third focused on inclusion as it impacts the capacities of communities to bargain with extractive industries operating in their midst.

鈥淭his research program has the potential to reveal whether, when and how inclusive processes in governance, business, peacebuilding and civil society lead to more peaceful, just and prosperous societies,鈥 Berry said.

Another goal of the project is to allow for a continuation of the center鈥檚 policy engagement, post-doc programs, public outreach and other initiatives. Part of that public outreach included a recent International Women鈥檚 Day panel that highlighted the work of Denver women fostering inclusion during difficult moments.

鈥淲e hope it will also help launch a new 鈥業nclusive Global Leadership Initiative鈥 (IGLI) that will bring underrepresented groups to 快活app to foster their leadership potential,鈥 Chenoweth said. 鈥淕iven our current politics, we also have taken the opportunity to use our public forums to examine inclusion closer to home.鈥

Erica Chenoweth
Erica Chenoweth

IGLI鈥檚 first Summer Institute, scheduled for Aug. 27-30, and will host 12 women activists from around the world who are currently involved in civil resistance听campaigns to promote peace, human rights, and freedom. It will be the first in what is expected to be an annual tradition of bringing frontline activists from marginalized communities听to the 快活app to engage in a training and dialogue workshop on civil resistance.

鈥淭he women selected for the 2017 Summer听Institute will be invited to participate based on their outstanding contributions to ongoing campaigns around issues such as peace in Libya,听displacement in Colombia, government corruption and violence in Burundi, indigenous rights in India, and women鈥檚 rights in the U.S.,鈥澨鼴erry said.

During the workshop, activists听will have the chance to meet one another, share stories about their particular struggles and successes, and receive training on best strategies and tactics from some of the world鈥檚 leading experts on nonviolent civil resistance campaigns.

It also presents an opportunity for frontline activists to share with academic researchers the types of data or analysis that would be most useful for their campaigns in order听to bridge the gap between academics, activists and policymakers. Two events will be open to the public, including an evening lecture and a film screening.

鈥淭hese community events reflect our goal of听establishing the 快活app as a leading convener for conversations related to women鈥檚 leadership across the world,鈥澨鼵henoweth said. 鈥淚n 2018, our plans will expand. Through an open, competitive application process, we envision bringing more than 30 activists to campus to participate in a seven-day workshop, which will allow more time for the essential work of sharing,听learning, and networking with other activists around the world.鈥