Courses

Resolving or mitigating international and intrastate conflicts requires mastery of the dynamics of mediation. Participants in the course take on the roles of mediators and conflict parties in simulations, as they learn what it takes to structure a successful mediation effort. The course provides a strategic overview of what a third party needs to do when deciding to get involved in a peacebuilding effort.

Participants will learn about and practice culturally sensitive communication; negotiating across cultures; understanding cultural differences as drivers of conflict; identifying obstacles facing organizational designs; and incorporating culture into planning. The course focuses heavily on managing culture shock and remembering key lessons and skills when under pressure. Recommended for those whose work requires interacting with local populations as well as across military and civilian sectors.

Course will enable practitioners and policy makers to develop effective strategies in establishing stable institutions and helping to support a robust civil society in transition environments. Interactive exercises with critical analysis of various case studies will focus on establishing governance and democratic practices in divided societies, and offer a framework that can be applied in unstable, post-conflict environments.
 

Outlines strategies and distinctive challenges for third-party mediators and other advisors, including countering hate speech and exclusionary policies, engaging religious and tribal leaders, establishing trust through intergroup dialogues, and other measures. Recommended for practitioners whose peacebuilding work requires them to work with religious, ethnic, tribal and minority groups.

SENSE is a computer-facilitated simulation that focuses on negotiations and decision-making, including resource-allocation challenges and cross-sectoral coordination, for the full range of national and international actors. July 7-9, USIP, in partnership with George Mason University (GMU) and the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), will conduct the Strategic Economic Needs and Security Exercise (SENSE) simulation at USIP headquarters in Washington D.C.