David R. Smock
Vice President, Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Religion and Peacemaking Center of Innovation
Contact
Phone: (202) 429-3843
E-mail: dsmock@usip.org
David R. Smock is the vice president of the Institute's Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution and associate vice president of the Religion and Peacemaking program, one of the Centers of Innovation. Previously he served as director of the USIP's Grant Program and coordinator of Africa activities.
He has worked on African issues for more than 30 years and lived in Africa for 11 years. As a staff member of the Ford Foundation from 1964 to 1980, he served in Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria and New York.
From 1980 to 1986, Smock served concurrently as director of the South African Education Program, a scholarship program that brings black South African students to U.S. universities and vice president for program development and research for the Institute of International Education. After serving as executive associate to the president of the United Church of Christ from 1986 to 1989, Smock became executive director of International Voluntary Services, supervising development projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
He received an M.Div. from New York Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Cornell University.
Publications:
- Managing A Mediation Process, co-author (USIP Press, 2008).
- Religion in World Affairs: Its Role in Conflict and Peace
Special Report (February 2008) - Uganda/Lord's Resistance Army Peace Negotiations
USIPeace Briefing (February 2008) - New Strategies for Darfur
USIPeace Briefing (April 2007) - How to Respond to Somalia's Current Crisis
USIPeace Briefing (August 2006) - Religious Contributions to Peacemaking: When Religion Brings Peace, Not War
Peaceworks (January 2006) - Applying Islamic Principles in the Twenty-first Century: Nigeria, Iran, and Indonesia
Special Report (September 2005) - Teaching about the Religious Other
Special Report (July 2005) - Ijtihad: Reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the Twenty-first Century
Special Report (August 2004) - The Role of Religion in Iraqi Politics
USIPeace Briefing (December 2003) - Religious Politics in Iraq
USIPeace Briefing (May 2003) - Building Interreligious Trust in a Climate of Fear: An Abrahamic Trialogue
Special Report (February 2003) - Would an Invasion of Iraq Be a "Just War"?
Special Report (January 2003) - Islam and Democracy
Special Report (September 2002) - Islamic Perspectives on Peace and Violence
Special Report (January 2002) - Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding, editor (USIP Press 2002).
- Religious Perspectives on War, revised edition (USIP Press 2002).
- Faith-Based NGOs and International Peacebuilding
Special Report (October 2001) - Catholic Contributions to International Peace
Special Report (April 2001) - Post-Genocidal Reconstruction: Building Peace in Rwanda and Burundi
Special Report (September 1999) - Can Nigeria Make a Peaceful Transition to Democratic Governance?
Special Report (December 1997) - NGOs and the Peace Process in Angola
Special Report (April 1996) - Perspectives on Pacifism: Christian, Jewish and Muslim Views on Nonviolence and International Conflict, (USIP Press 1995).
Available on usip.org
- Exploring Conflict in the Great Lakes Region
Congressional Testimony, December 4, 1996
Resources & Tools
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September 2009
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Peace Brief
by David R. Smock
USIP's David Smock explores the factors underlying and perpetuating the militancy in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In this report, based on an 11-day trip to Nigeria in late August 2009, Smock analyzes the prospects for the amnesty process, and why stronger political processes and economic development could help address the roots of the conflict there. |
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August 2009
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Book
by Daniel Brumberg and Dina Shehata, editors
Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World highlights the challenges that escalating identity conflicts within Muslim-majority states pose for both the Muslim world and for the West, an issue that has received scant attention in policy and academic circles. |
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April 2009
In coordination with the United Nations Mediation Support Unit and in collaboration with a number of other mediation institutes and experts, USIP is developing a series of "best practices" handbooks on key aspects of mediation and peacemaking. The series is being designed for experienced mediation practitioners and negotiators, but will be a valuable resource for students and policymakers. Future handbooks include: Assessing and Enhancing Ripeness, Negotiating with Terrorists, Dealing with the Impact of an International Tribunal on a Peace Process; Managing Public Information in a Mediation Process, Debriefing a Mediation Effort, Coordinating Track I and II Efforts, and Addressing Internally Displaced Persons in a Peace Process. |
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January 2009
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Special Report
by David Smock and Qamar-ul Huda
Muslims in general and Muslim leaders particularly have often been severely criticized for not more energetically condemning the violent acts of Muslim extremists. The uninformed often assume that extremists represent Islam’s mainstream. Issue Areas: Peacebuilding, Religion
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August 2008
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Book
by David R. Smock and Amy L. Smith
Managing the Mediation Process offers an overview of the process of mediating interstate and intrastate conflicts. Each of its six chapters covers a different step in the process, identifying what needs to be done at that step and how best to accomplish it. |
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February 2008
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Peace Brief
by David Smock
Writing from peace talks in Juba, Southern Sudan, David Smock, present as an observer, analyzes negotiations between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government. Countries: North Uganda, Uganda
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Negotiation and Diplomacy
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April 2007
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Peace Brief
by David R. Smock
While the humanitarian and security crises continue in Darfur, there have been some improvements in recent weeks, including the decrease in civilian casualties. However, in the first two months of 2007, 80,000 people were forced from their homes because of violence. How can the international community help enhance peacekeeping in Darfur? Countries: Sudan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Humanitarian Efforts, Negotiation and Diplomacy
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January 2007
David Smock is interviewed on Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia, and event that thrusted Somalia back into the international spotlight. |
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August 2006
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Peace Brief
by David Smock with assistance from Emily Hsu
The current crisis in Somalia is much more complicated than simply a conflict between Islamic extremists and moderates. U.S. policy toward Somalia must be more all-encompassing. |
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September 2005
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Special Report
by David Smock
This report describes Initiative-supported conferences in Nigeria and Iran to enable Muslim scholars to grapple with how faithful Muslims can respond to a range of contemporary issues. |
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July 2005
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Special Report
by David Smock
The United States Institute of Peace held a two-day workshop titled "Teaching about the "Religious Other." The sixteen workshop participants were professors experienced in teaching those of one Abrahamic faith about another Abrahamic faith either in U.S. classrooms or abroad. The purpose of the workshop was to enable these educators to share their experiences and curricular materials, to plan collaborative projects to improve the quality of such education, and to increase the number of such programs. This report summarizes the presentations of the participants, introduces some promising new programs for teaching about the religious other, and offers lessons drawn from the discussion. |
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August 2004
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Special Report
by David Smock
The United States Institute of Peace and the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy cosponsored a workshop entitled "Ijtihad: Reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the Twenty-first Century." The discussion focused on how the sacred texts of the Qur'an and the sunna could be reinterpreted to take account of contemporary realities and to promote greater peace, justice, and progress within the Muslim world and in its relations with the non-Muslim world. Issue Areas: Political Systems and International Relations, Religion
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August 2004
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Arabic Report
by David Smock
Issue Areas: Religion
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April 2004
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Congressional Testimony
by Faleh A. Jabar, Amatzia Baram, David R. Smock
A Special Discussion on Capitol Hill Sponsored by The Faith and Politics Institute and the United States Institute of Peace. Countries: Iraq
| Issue Areas: Governance, Identity, Ethnicity, and Culture, Religion, Terrorism and Political Extremism
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January 2003
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Special Report
by David Smock
To contribute to the public discussion of whether the United States and its allies should invade Iraq, the U.S. Institute of Peace organized a symposium on December 17, 2002 to address the question "Would an Invasion of Iraq Be a "Just War"? To debate this question the Institute invited four experts to write papers and make presentations. |
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September 2002
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Special Report
by David Smock
The Institute held a workshop, co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), on Islam and democracy. The principal questions addressed were why the majority of Muslim countries are not democratic and whether there is an inherent contradiction or incompatibility between Islam and democratic principles. Some western analysts contend that Islam is the reason that so many Muslim countries are not democratic. Issue Areas: Governance, Political Systems and International Relations, Religion
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August 2002
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Book
by David R. Smock
In this volume, Jews, Muslims, and Christians with very diverse views address such issues as the just war doctrine, explaining their differences and finding often surprising common ground. Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Religion, Use of Force
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May 2002
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Book
by David R. Smock
Drawing on their extensive experience in organizing interaction and cooperation across religious boundaries in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, and the Balkans, the contributors explore the formidable potential of interfaith dialogue. Issue Areas: Civil Society, Peacebuilding, Religion
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January 2002
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Special Report
by David Smock
The workshop was also part of a series of workshops organized by the Institute over the past year on the perspectives of various faith communities toward peacemaking. The United States Institute of Peace hosted a workshop on Islamic perspectives on peace and violence on November 7, 2001. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Division of International Peace and Conflict Resolution at American University. Of course, interest in this topic took on much greater significance following the events of September 11, which posed questions about how Islam views acts of political violence. Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Peacebuilding, Religion, Use of Force
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October 2001
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Special Report
by David Smock
The United States Institute of Peace hosted a day-long workshop on June 20, 2001 to enable faith-based NGOs to share their experiences in international peacebuilding. The holding of this workshop reflected both the increasing involvement of international faith-based NGOs in attempting to promote peace in the countries where they operate, as well as the desire of many other faith-based NGOs to engage in peacebuilding projects. Issue Areas: Nongovernmental Organizations, Peacebuilding, Religion
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September 1999
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Special Report
by John Prendergast and David Smock
Countries: Burundi, Rwanda
| Issue Areas: Identity, Ethnicity, and Culture, Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict Activities, Use of Force
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August 1999
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Special Report
by John Prendergast and David Smock
Standing today at a crossroads between war and peace, the Congo threatens either to drag the entire Central African region into a quagmire of conflict or to provide the engine of economic reconstruction necessary for stability and democratization. Countries: Congo, Democratic Republic of, Congo, Republic of the
| Issue Areas: Identity, Ethnicity, and Culture, Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict Activities
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February 1999
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Special Report
by David R. Smock
The Institute convened a consultation on Sudan to generate recommendations for strengthening the negotiating process and to help refine some of the issues. Particular attention was given to the principle of self-determination because both the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA) have given at least nominal support to self-determination for southern Sudan. |
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December 1997
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Special Report
by David R. Smock
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April 1997
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Special Report
by David R. Smock
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December 1996
Testimony of David Smock before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. Countries: Congo, Democratic Republic of, Rwanda
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December 1996
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Congressional Testimony
by David R. Smock
Testimony of David Smock before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Human Rights
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April 1996
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Special Report
by David Smock and John Prendergast
Countries: Angola
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Nongovernmental Organizations, Peacebuilding
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February 1996
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Peaceworks
by David R. Smock
The good work of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in recent conflicts in such countries as Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia is well known—providing food, shelter, medicine, and a host of other materials and services under extremely difficult conditions. But does humanitarian assistance in some cases actually exacerbate conflict? Countries: Africa
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Resolution, Humanitarian Efforts
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October 1995
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Book
by David R. Smock and Chester A. Crocker, editors
The U.S. Role in Peacemaking Countries: Africa
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Resolution, Early Warning & Conflict Prevention
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March 1995
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Book
by David R. Smock
Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Views on Nonviolence and International Conflict Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Religion
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December 1993
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Book
by David R. Smock, editor
Foreign Intervention in Africa Countries: Africa
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Resolution, Humanitarian Efforts, Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict Activities, Use of Force
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December 1992
The purpose of the meeting was to see if this diverse gathering of Somali professionals could develop consensusre commendations about how to promote more effective relief efforts in Somalia and how to advance toward political reconciliation and reconstruction Given their divergent perspectives, the group was able to achieve an impressive degree of consensus on key points. The purpose of this report is to summarize these points of consensus. Countries: Somalia
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Events
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December 9, 2009
Serious and contentious questions surround the issue of how the international community should relate to Somalia. Should major support be given to the Transitional Federal Government? Should the African Union peacekeeping force be expanded? |
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October 15, 2009
USIP's Daniel Brumberg joined a panel of guest speakers, including Congressman Keith Ellison, for a lively discussion of USIP's new volume "Conflict, Identity, and Reform in the Muslim World." Countries: Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates
| Issue Areas: Civil Society, Economics and Development, Governance, Human Rights, International and Regional Organizations, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Nongovernmental Organizations, Peacebuilding, Religion, Terrorism and Political Extremism
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October 7, 2009
Grand Mufti of Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Ali Gomaa will speak about moderation in Islam and the challange of religious extremism. |
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June 12, 2009
Countries: Africa, Somalia
| Issue Areas: Economics and Development, Security and Strategy, Weapons & Arms Control
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June 2, 2009
Issue Areas: Mediation and Facilitation, Religion
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March 11, 2009
As the International Criminal Court considers the chief prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, there is an ongoing debate concerning the relationship between efforts to achieve peace in Sudan, especially in the Darfur region, and efforts to achieve proper accountability. This panel explored the relationship between peace and justice in three past cases — the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Court’s actions in Uganda — to collect lessons that are relevant to Sudan. |
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March 10, 2009
A public event co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace and The Center for Strategic and International Studies Countries: Somalia
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Political Systems and International Relations, Security and Strategy
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February 20, 2009
Roundtable discussion co-sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace and The United Nations University Issue Areas: Religion
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December 17, 2008
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November 12, 2008
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October 21, 2008
Issue Areas: Peacebuilding, Religion
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June 10, 2008
Issue Areas: Religion
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May 2, 2008
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April 29, 2008
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March 24, 2008
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November 20, 2007
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November 13, 2007
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September 26, 2007
Countries: Philippines
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Human Rights, Humanitarian Efforts, Political Systems and International Relations
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September 20, 2007
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September 5, 2007
Countries: Somalia
| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Resolution, Peacebuilding
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May 23, 2007
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March 14, 2007
Countries: Africa
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Environment and Natural Resources, Governance
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January 24, 2007
Issue Areas: Religion
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December 1, 2006
Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Resolution, Religion
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November 30, 2006
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November 7, 2006
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October 16, 2006
Countries: India, Kashmir, Pakistan
| Issue Areas: Conflict Management and Resolution, Negotiation and Diplomacy
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October 5, 2006
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October 4, 2006
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August 28, 2006
Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis, Religion
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May 16, 2006
Countries: Africa, North Uganda, Sudan, Uganda
| Issue Areas: Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy
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May 2, 2006
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March 22, 2006
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March 15, 2006
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February 3, 2006
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November 7, 2005
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September 20, 2005
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April 21, 2004
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March 19, 2004
Issue Areas: Religion
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December 17, 2003
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April 1, 2003
On April 1 the United States Institute of Peace and the Faith & Politics Institute cosponsored a special workshop on Capitol Hill to engage participants in an exploration of the potential role for faith, and the faithful, in promoting peace in the Middle East. Countries: Israel, Palestinian Territories
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December 17, 2002
Countries: Iraq
| Issue Areas: Political Systems and International Relations, Religion, Use of Force
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June 18, 2002
Issue Areas: Governance, Religion
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May 16, 2000
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April 16, 2000
Countries: Burundi
| Issue Areas: Humanitarian Efforts, International and Regional Organizations, Peacekeeping
| Programs: Grants & Fellowships
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