Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch Blog

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Cynthia Cohen, innovative director of the film Acting Together and peacebuilding scholar/practitioner will be appearing at two Vancouver-area events. Both are free, but pre-registration is required. Details below.

UBC/Vancouver area: Peter Wall Institute event on March 21.
New Westminster area: Justice Institute of BC March 22 event.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Acting Together on the World Stage, Performance and the Creative Transformation of Conflict
Director Allison Lund. Producer Cynthia Cohen.
Commentators: Dr. Michelle LeBaron, UBC Faculty of Law; Professor Rena Sharon, UBC School of Music; and Professor Maureen Maloney, Public Policy, Simon Fraser University
Location: PWIAS Conference Rooms, UBC
Time: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Discussion and a reception with refreshments to follow the film presentation.
To register, contact the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at pwias.assistant[at]pwias.ubc.ca

Thursday, March 22, 2012
6:30-8:00 pm (6 pm registration)
JIBC New Westminster Campus
Fee: no cost, but registration is required

Acting Together: Join the Conversation – Free Community Event
Join us for the free screening of “Acting Together” an internationally acclaimed film, featuring artists, peace builders, and community leaders from every continent, whose rituals and theatrical works speak truth to power and support communities to mourn losses and build bridges of reconciliation.

Project Director Dr. Cynthia Cohen will lead a discussion after the screening. Registration is required for this free event. Email scsj[at]jibc.ca, or call 604.528.5608 to secure your seat.

For more information about these special events, call 604.528.5608 (toll-free 1.888.799.0801), email scsj[at]jibc.ca, or visit the event website www.jibc.ca/actingtogether.

Dr. Cynthia Cohen is director of the program in Peacebuilding and the Arts at Brandeis University’s International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. She is an internationally recognized educator, peacebuilding practitioner and researcher who focuses on the contributions of the arts to conflict transformation.

The educational documentary Acting Together on the World Stage highlights courageous and creative artists and peacebuilders working in conflict zones. It features theatrical works and rituals that reach beneath people’s defenses in respectful ways that support communities to configure new patterns of meaning and relationships. The documentary grows out of a five-year initiative of Theatre Without Borders, Brandeis University and filmmaker Allison Lund. Dynamic footage of performances, rituals, and candid interviews with artists and peacebuilders place case studies in their socio-political and cultural contexts. The documentary is designed for students, practitioners, educators, and policymakers in fields related to performance and to peace and conflict studies, and for others who believe—or who want to be convinced—that human communities have the creative capacities to transform conflict non-violently.

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• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences announced earlier this month the short list of nominees for the Canada Prizes in the Social Sciences.
Among those five short-listed for the English-language prize was the Commission’s own Dr Paulette Regan for her work on residential school history, Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth-telling and Reconciliation
in Canada (UBC Press).

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• 17 January 2012
• CINERGY
• By Cinnie Noble

Conflict management coaching, also known as conflict coaching, is a specialized niche in the field of coaching and conflict management.  It is a one-on-one technique, in which a trained coach assists people to effectively prevent or manage specific disputes and to enhance their conflict management skills.  This process has wide application, in the organizational context and for coaching individuals to participate in mediation, negotiation and relational conflict.

The outcomes of our four day workshop are that participants will gain:

• the theory, principles and methods specific to the CINERGY® model of conflict management coaching;
• an introduction to and basic working knowledge of conflict management coaching using the CINERGY® model;
• an understanding of the types of skills required to provide conflict management coaching;
  • knowledge of the applications of this technique; and
• suggested documents and information about the logistics of conflict management coaching.

The training will be of specific interest to workplace and other mediators, ombudspersons, coaches, HR Professionals and others who work with people in conflict.

2012 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:

Dates                                                               Location

March 19-22, 2012                                         Ottawa, Canada

March 26-29, 2012 (French)                          Ottawa, Canada

April 10-13, 2012                                           Toronto, Canada

April 10-13, 2012                                           Plano, Texas

May 7-10, 2012                                              St. Petersburg, Florida

June 11-14, 2012                                            Arlington, Virginia

July 11-14, 2012                                             Boulder, Colorado

October 22-25, 2012                                       Ottawa, Canada

October 22-25, 2012                                       Arlington, Virginia

Workshops may also be coordinated in your city or workplace.

For further information on our workshops in Ireland, U.K., Australia and New Zealand, contact CINERGY® Coaching:

Toll free: 1-866-335-6466, Email: info@cinergycoaching.com, Web: www.cinergycoaching.com

BOOK:           Conflict Management Coaching: The CINERGY™ Model – http://tinyurl.com/conflictcoaching

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• 9 November 2011
• Conflict Zen
• By Tammy Lenski

Most of us who’ve included conflict management coaching in our mix of services for many years didn’t have the good fortune new conflict management coaches now have: A terrific book on the subject…

Cinnie’s organized her wealth of coaching knowledge and experience into a coherent, relevant, and highly informative book, Conflict Management Coaching: The CINERGY™ Model. If you’re a conflict resolution professional interested in adding conflict management coaching to your mix of services, or already do and realize you could use some help filling in the gaps, or you just want to know what this coaching thing is all about, then Cinnie’s book is must-have reading.

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Roots of a Nation’s Misfortune, Afghanistan: Past, Present & Future
Thursday, March 24 · 1:00pm – 2:30pm
David Strong Building – C118, University of Victoria
Presented by: the Students’ Group For Mid-East Dialogue in conjunction with the World History Caucus

A Panel Discussion featuring:
Gregory Blue (History) — Afghan History & the Present
Brishkai Lund (Women Studies) – Afghan Lives
Nikolai Lanine (Soviet War Veteran) – The Soviet Experience
Jason Colby (History) — American Policy in Afghanistan
Kenneth Christie (Peace & Conflict Management, Royal Roads) — Security & Human Rights Issues

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• 14 September 2011
• Victoria Times Colonist | Vancouver Sun
• By Catherine Morris and Gail Davidson

The B.C. government’s refusal to provide legal representation to groups granted standing at the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry is more than a national shame. It’s part of Canada’s known pattern of international humanrights violations against women and indigenous people.

Only the families of victims have been granted funding for representation at the hearing, even though Commissioner Wally Oppal recommended funding for 12 additional groups who can’t afford to participate properly without funding.

The issues under scrutiny at the commission go far beyond the private tragedies of individual families of victims. The commission was created under the Public Inquiries Act to investigate allegations of systematic police failure to protect Canadians’ right to life. Police failure to conduct proper investigations of murders of poor and indigenous women fosters a climate of impunity for violent criminals. It also fosters inequitable public attitudes about whose rights and whose lives are worth protecting. These are critical matters of public interest. (read more…)

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• July 2011
• Danish Refugee Council
• By Daunia Pavone

The conflict in Libya and its humanitarian consequences have changed over time in the past months. The first and most visible of these challenges is access… or its limitations.

Access to populations in Libya is fragmented. While most organizations can enter and work in east Libya, the situation in the western part of the country is different. NGOs and agencies that can access some affected population may not be able to reach others. Ability to access can vary from day to day and depends on fighting as well as on decisions by the authorities in Tripoli.

Fragmented access hinders the ability of humanitarian organizations to properly carry out comprehensive needs assessments and, as a consequence, meet humanitarian needs of the civilian population of Libya.

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• 28 May 2011
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

The following Canadian corporations continue to invest in cluster munitions, according to research presented by IKV Pax Christi (Netherlands) and Netwerk Vlaanderen (Belgium) in Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions: A shared responsibility:

• Manulife Financial (Canada) investing in Textron (US)
• Royal Bank of Canada investing in Alliant Techsystems (US)
• Sun Life Financial Services (Canada) investing in Textron (US)

Read the full report for details.

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P4C is a global forum with international practitioners and researchers exploring current challenges and shifts in humanitarian relief, community development and peacebuilding. Read more.

The forum will be held from March 17^th – 19^th, 2011 at the University of Winnipeg (515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB).

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• News source:
• 15 November 2010
• Mediation and Other Stuff
• By Colm Brannigan

There has been quite a lot of discussion about confidentiality in mediation over the last couple of years.

Despite all the commentary about the recent Supreme Court of Canada case of R. v. National Post, 2010 SCC 16, [2010] 1 S.C.R. 477, I really don’t think that the law has changed very much, if at all since Slavutych v. Baker, [1976] 1 S.C.R. 254, and a paper I wrote on mediator liability back in 1998. (read more…)

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• 28 September 2010
• Reporting on Conflict
• reprinted by permission from "Mediation and Other Stuff"
• By Colm Brannigan

• News source:
• 27 August 2010
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

Today’s edition of Reporting on Conflict was stimulated by a short electronic conversation with a colleague about the ethics of using photos of horrific suffering to raise funds or to sell news or causes during disasters, famine or armed-conflict. We have posted six stories:

• Famine photographs and the need for careful critique an April, 2010, article by David Campbell at A Developing Story.
• Images of humanitarian crises: Ethical implications a 1996 article by Gilbert Holleufer the International Review of the Red Cross;
• Working as a Humanitarian Photographer – Ethics and Images, a January 2010 article by Doug Klostermann on his blog, Picturing Change;
• The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics;
• Development Photography Ethics posted by Knowledge for Health (K4Health); and
• Online Journalism Ethics: Photojournalism, by Carolynne Burkholder on the Journalism Ethics website.

We acknowledge Susanne Ure of Amnesty International Canada who pointed out most of these articles. Please let us know about other articles on this topic or online policies or standards of humanitarian organizations of which you are aware.

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• originally posted December 2009
• Feinstein International Center
• By Greg Hansen

Drawing upon extensive field research in the region and informed by additional field study dating back to the mid-1990s, this study by Greg Hansen calls renewed attention to the politicization and instrumentalization of humanitarian action and to serious shortcomings in donor behavior measured against their own undertakings to Good Humanitarian Donorship.

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• originally posted July 2007

A new research report from the Feinstein International Center is now available online:

Taking Sides or Saving Lives: Existential Choices for the Humanitarian Enterprise in Iraq is an in-depth, field-based study of how Iraqis caught up in the tragedy facing their country view humanitarian aid, its local relevance, and its place in the greater global politic. The project was led by Greg Hansen with researchers from the and involving Iraqi colleagues presently living and working in Iraq. The research was carried out between October and December 2006.

Direct link to PDF (1.8mb) of the report:
http://fic.tufts.edu/downloads/HA2015IraqCountryStudy.pdf

An Arabic translation of this report will soon be available at http://fic.tufts.edu. FIC’s earlier briefing paper, “Coming to Terms With the Humanitarian Imperative in Iraq,” as well as its other HA2015 country studies, are also available on this website.

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• 13 April 2010
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris

April 10 marked the launch of a useful new website created by Michael Mulley who aims to make the work of Canada’s Parliament accessible and to encourage transparency in government. “For all its routine and formal trappings, Parliament remains a crucial engine of our democracy,” states the website. “And it all happens in the open. But, too often, information that’s technically available is difficult to find and use. This site aims to make some of that information.”

You can look up government bills and private members’ bills to see their progress through Parliament. Of particular interest to me are Bill C-447, a private member’s bill to Establish a Department of Peace, and Bill C-300 Respecting Corporate Accountability for the Activities of Mining, Oil or Gas in Developing Countries. Feeds are available for each Bill.

You can also follow the latest House Transcripts, or the activities of particular Members of Parliament.

This excellent effort makes it so much simpler to follow activities of Parliament. Otherwise one needs to use the publicly accessible but cumbersome Parliamentary website. Thanks to Michael Mulley for this extraordinarily helpful voluntary project.

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• By Peacemakers Trust

Peacemakers Trust has received an invitation from The Sharing Way, a Canadian faith-based development agency, and its Rwandan partner, the Association des Églises Baptistes au Rwanda (AEBR), to work with them to develop a three year plan of action that responds to emerging needs and challenges in post-genocide Rwanda. The participatory planning process will involve consultation and planning meetings with a number of Rwandan church leaders from around Rwanda, including women and youth leaders.

You can become a partner in raising the costs of this initiative with a tax-deductable donation to Peacemakers Trust, a Canadian charity focused on conflict transformation and peacebuilding. (read more…)

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• 24 November 2009
• Brains on Purpose
• By Stephanie West Allen

Dr. Tammy Lenski of making mediation your day job recently posted an interview of my friend and colleague Cinnie Noble. The entire interview is worth reading but I wanted to highlight one part for readers of this blog. Cinnie says:

… I discovered that my conflict coaching model is grounded in neuroscience principles. I developed it mostly through research, as mentioned. That involved experimenting with a number of study groups over a few years and as it evolved it seemed to be a practice without a specific theory! The more I learned about how the brain functions, I discovered how the model is grounded in neuroscience principles and that helped explain more about why the model works so well…

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• Autumn 2009
• Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)
• Vol. 3 (4) - Autumn 2009
• By Renée Gendron

Abstract: This article argues that clan conflicts can be addressed through the extension of existing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Clan disputes and conflicts are interdependent of other violent conflicts. Through the expansion of existing informal justice mechanisms, the republics of the North Caucasus as well as the Russian Federation can improve the rule of law and reduce the incidents of violence. Recognizing and utilizing local indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms will also empower those populations, facilitating greater active participation in society.

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• 16 October 2009
• Reporting on Conflict
• By Catherine Morris, commenting on lectures by Dan Ariely (YouTube and TED)

Dan Ariely does research on cheating. Here are two videos. The first one describes an experiment that checks out whether wearing of “fakes” has any impact on cheating. How might one act of cheating create an affinity for another act of cheating? Watch this:

And here’s another lecture on “Our Buggy Moral Code” that suggests cheating is not done by “bad people” but by “good people” who cheat “just a little.”

There are clear implications for negotiation ethics, including the implications of getting on the “slippery slope” and some hopeful ideas about prevention of cheating and dishonesty.