S-CAR's monthly Activity Recaps highlight the ongoing contributions being made by S-CAR students, faculty, and alumni to the field of conflict analysis and resolution. Each Activity Recap includes publications, presentations, and awards from the previous month.
Are you a member of the S-CAR community? Send your publication, presentation, and award updates to scarlib@gmu.edu so that we can include them in our Activity Recaps.
Summary
November was a month full of events, publications, and presentations within the S-CAR community. With the defenses of three dissertations, we congratulate our new PhDs who will be graduating at the end of the semester. Our faculty, students, and alumni participated in a series of events, including the continuing Critical Conversations series and multiple Dialogue and Difference events. With the end of the Fall 2019 semester, we look forward to the Spring 2020 semester, in which professors will be utilizing the newly published introductory conflict resolution textbook by Visiting Scholar Charles Hauss. The month was capped off with a wonderful community celebration of Thanksgiving at Point of View, bringing together students, faculty, and community members.
Awards & Accolades
Milt Lauenstein announced a gift of $210,000 for a two-year post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Peacemaking Practice. The post-doc will research the efficacy of practices aimed at preventing violent conflict.
Academic Publications
Books and Book Chapters
Charles Hauss (Visiting Scholar) published an introductory textbook titled From Conflict Resolution to Peacebuilding on November 15, 2019. The book features contributions from many members of the S-CAR community, including Douglas Irvin-Erickson, Sarah Federman (PhD ‘15), and Nora Malatinszky (BS Student).
S-CAR in the News
Television and Radio Appearances
Hamid Lellou (MS Student) appeared on Al Maghribiya to discuss the peaceful demonstrations in Algeria. The interview aired on November 1, 2019.
Mohammed Cherkaoui (MS ’07) appeared on Al Jazeera English’s “Inside Story” to discuss “Saudi Arabia: Will Aramco’s IPO succeed?” The segment aired on November 4, 2019. He was also featured on Alaraby TV, where he discussed Moroccan-Algerian relations on November 18, 2019.
Terrence Lyons appeared on WPR’s “Trend Lines” to discuss “Ethiopians Losing Faith in Abiy.” The segment aired on November 13, 2019.
Articles
Christian Taylor (PhD Student) wrote an article titled “In Somalia, can al-Shabab be defeated? Here’s why a nonmilitary option might succeed,” published in the Washington Post’s “The Monkey Cage” blog on November 5, 2019.
Roland Wilson was quoted in an article written by Jung Da-min titled “Washington’s Indo-Pacific drive weighs on Seoul in defense cost talks,” published by The Korea Times on November 6, 2019.
Mohammed Cherkaoui (MS ’07) wrote an article titled “Sugarcoated and shrouded in mystery: Saudi Aramco’s IPO,” published by The New Arab on November 11, 2019. He was also interviewed in two articles by Mustafa Shakeri, published in Hespress on November 25, 2019. He also published an article on issues in Morocco and a poem on Diwane.net on November 14, 2019, and November 23, 2019, respectively.
Ziad Al Achkar (PhD Student) wrote an article titled “My beloved Lebanon – Joining the revolution, virtually,” published by CDA Collaborative on November 14, 2019.
Richard Rubenstein published a blogpost titled “The Curse of the Anacostans: The Hidden Cause of the Redskins’ Decline” on November 9, 2019.
Ibrahim Fraihat (PhD ’06) wrote an article titled “Is a resolution of the GCC crisis imminent?” The article was published by Al Jazeera on November 18, 2019.
Alpaslan Özerdem was quoted in an article titled “Reconciliation helps ‘repair fractures’, enable lasting peace, Security Council hears,” published by UN News on November 19, 2019.
Talha Kose (PhD ‘10) published an article on Turkish-American relations in Sabah on November 23, 2019. The Daily Sabah also published his article, “The age of mass protests and the new logic of politics,” on November 28, 2019, and his article, “Daesh after al-Baghdadi,” on November 2, 2019.
Audrey Williams (MS Student) wrote “S-CAR's dean briefs UN Security Council on reconciliation” for S-CAR News, published on November 19, 2019. The article featured remarks from Alpaslan Özerdem.
Annalisa Jackson (MHCR Program Coordinator) wrote an article titled “Workshop in D.C. explores how to improve the impact of reconciliation,” published by S-CAR News on November 22, 2019.
Dissertation Defense
Robbie Wellington defended his dissertation, “Sexual Orientation and Gender identity as Cross-Cutting Identities in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Experience of LGBTQ Israeli Human Rights Activists” on November 4, 2019. On the committee was Susan Allen (Chair), Mara Schoeny, Vicki Kirsch, and Mohammed Abu-Nimer (PhD ’93).
Charles Davidson defended his dissertation, “Dynamic Insurgency: Does target audience conflict proximity affect the collective action frames of a transnational insurgent group?” on November 12, 2019. On the committee was Agnieszka Paczynska (Chair), Terrence Lyons, and Peter Mandaville (Center for Global Studies).
Merri Davis defended her dissertation, “The Interplay of Violence and Trauma in the Historical Interpretation of Confederate Symbols” on November 21, 2019. On the committee was Karina Korostelina (Chair), Daniel Rothbart, and Jennifer Ritterhouse (Department of History).
S-CAR Events, Presentations, and Public Lectures
On November 8 and 9, members of the S-CAR community presented at the International Studies Association Northeast Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Ziad Al Achkar (PhD Student) presented a paper titled “The Dual-Edge Sword of Technology & Digitalization in Humanitarian Responses: A Beacon of Hope or A Cautionary Tale?” Emily Sample (PhD Candidate) served as the chair and discussant for a panel on “Epistemologies and Ethics: On the Question of War and Security,” and, alongside Shelly Clay-Robinson (PhD Candidate), participated in a roundtable discussion on “Empowered Women Empower Women: International Studies in the Age of #MeToo,” for which Leslie Dwyer also phoned in to discuss. Al-Achkar, Sample, and Clay-Robinson also presented their paper, “Dry Grass: Building a Framework for Mass Atrocity Prevention in Uganda.” Nora Malatinszky (BS Student) and Sadaf Dastan (BS ’19) also presented a paper titled “The Decline of Freedom: Comparing the Dynamic Shifts in Media Freedom Across Hungary and Iran.”
Susan Hirsch delivered a public talk at the University of Richmond titled "Who Needs the International Criminal Court? Answers from Kenya, the African Continent, and the Global Community” on November 11. She also guest lectured to a University of Richmond class on her book, In the Moment of Greatest Calamity: Terrorism, Grief, and a Victim's Quest for Justice.
S-CAR Events
On November 8, the S-CAR Academic Reception was held at the Johnson Center on the Fairfax Campus, as part of Family Weekend. Other in-house events from the school this month included an Admissions Information Session on the Arlington Campus on November 12, an Online Study Abroad Information Session on November 19, and an S-CAR Information Session on the Fairfax Campus on November 20.
On November 4, S-CAR and University Life co-hosted an event with Bridget Moix (PhD ’16). U.S. Executive Director of Peace Direct, as part of the S-CAR Pro-Seminar Series.
On November 6, Antti Pentikainen and Annalisa Jackson hosted “Getting involved with the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation” at Vernon Smith Hall on the Arlington Campus.
On November 12, a Critical Conversations discussion featuring Dr. Roger Mac Ginty (Durham Global Security Institute), focused on “Peace Power: The Concept and Practice of Everyday Peace,” was held at S-CAR on the Arlington Campus. Additional remarks were offered by Alpaslan Özerdem and Sara Cobb.
On November 14, an S-CAR Film and Discussion Event on the documentary 82 Names: Syria, Please Don’t Forget Uswas held on the Fairfax Campus.
On November 14, the Fall 2019 CONF 600 class ran a Dialogue and Difference event on the question “Gun Control: Protection or Infringement?” at Van Metre Hall on the Arlington Campus.
From November 15 to 17, the 2019 Decolonizing Knowledge Workshop was held at Point of View International Retreat and Research Center. The program was facilitated by Pushpa Iyer (PhD ‘07).
On November 18, the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race hosted an event titled “Confronting the Legacy of Racial Violence in America” at S-CAR on the Arlington Campus. The event opened with remarks by Charles Chavis and featured a screening of the award-winning documentary Burn: The Lynching of George Armwood and a discussion with its producer, Will Schwarz, President of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project.
On November 20, the Dialogue and Difference Project concluded its Fall 2019 programming with a dialogue on social repair, which was held at Research Hall on the Fairfax Campus.
On November 21, Christopher Mitchell moderated an event titled “Geopolitics, Crime and Fragility in the Americas; Colombian-Venezuelan Relations at a Turning Point?” with contributions from the Schar School of Public Policy and Government on the Arlington Campus.
On November 22, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee met to discuss new initiatives for diversity within S-CAR, held at the Arlington Campus.
On November 26, an event was held at S-CAR on the Arlington Campus titled “Segregation in the Educational Systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”