Welcome
Welcome to the Web site for the Center for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (CNCR). The Center is part of the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, located at Civic Square, New Brunswick, New Jersey. CNCR is at the forefront of a movement that believes disputes can be settled by constructive negotiation and consensus-building and problem-solving approaches instead of by force or adversarial argument.
Read More
Latest From Facebook
Having closely followed the implementation of the peace deal that ended fifty years of violent civil strife in Colombia, how sad it is to see the agreement unraveling.... Many of the terms of the peace agreement have not been met, violence has been increasing, and the effort to integrate the rebels into governance largely failed (a serious disappointment as becoming integral members of the government could have helped to assure the peace agreement's terms were being seriously attended to.) Peace deals are hard. Peace is harder.
Colombia’s Peace Deal Promised a New Era. So Why Are These Rebels Rearming?
Rebels are rearming, violence is soaring in the countryside and a new government is wavering in its commitment.Check out "The Nuclear Weapons Sisterhood" in today's New York Times for solid insights on why it's not only fair but makes good sense to include women and underrepresented groups in all crucial policy fields: "No democracy can afford to exclude so many talented people from fundamental decisions of war and peace." While, the editors assert, there is little evidence women are inherently more peaceful than men, in certain parliamentary democracies, women leaders, feeling a need to prove their strength, "may be more likely to initiate conflict than their male peers." But, then, the editors make the point that including women in nuclear decision-making makes discussions more collegial and encourages collaboration and innovation. Also, note that risk-taking behavior may be greater when women are not involved in decisions. So, we may be wrong to anticipate a huge difference with women at the peace table but even a small difference can have consequential impact.
Opinion | The Nuclear Weapons Sisterhood
It’s hard for women to be hired, promoted or taken seriously in the national security establishment.Recalling an end to apartheid--apartness--and avoidance of a civil war by the exercise of moral and visionary leadership--Mandela preached forgiveness and reconciliation, not vengeance--to share power so that "all Suth Africans, both black and white could walk tall, a rainbow nation at peace with itself." The process of becoming the nation that Mandela hoped South Africa could be is still unfolding but, clearly, by leading his nation as he did he started the process of remaking a country with 11 national languages, and a legacy of racial injustice. Mandela's example and his nation's efforts remain an inspiration for the world.
The Day Apartheid Died: Photos of South Africa’s First Free Vote
Wednesday’s vote caps a quarter-century of transformation that began when a white-minority regime realized its time was past.As presidents Trump and Putin deploy their own "connection" to move both nations into a more cooperative relationship, or so they say, consider the time when the presidents of the U.S. and the Soviet Union--Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev-- engaged in genuine negotiations and yearn for what they accomplished. In this film, Gorbachev observes that the international mood is returning to a cold War atmosphere and laments it: "I just wanted to say that Cold War cannot be a form of international relations. People who don't understand the importance of cooperation and disarmament should quit politics." Gorbachev, as we know, took issue with Trump's withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. He wasn't alone, by any means.
Gorbachev has a special relationship with Germany as he is seen--revered--for allowing the country's reunification to happen peacefully.
Gorbachev pushes back at the notion that the Soviet Union's end was somehow "a triumph" for the other side: Americans thought they'd won the Cold War, he says, and this went to their heads. "What victory? It was our joint victory. We all won." This outstanding man--and the wisdom of his views--make us yearn for his brand of diplomacy.
What a distance women have to travel and what courage and conviction they have to have in order to push for a place--and have their voices heard--at the table where they can make a difference. Peace has everything to do with women. They will live it. They will make it work. Any postwar government in Afghanistan must honor the Afghan Constitution and protect the rights of women and children. Women must be involved at every stage of the peace process in order to secure those rights.
‘You Should Be in the Kitchen’: At Afghan Assembly, Women Are Told They Don’t Belong
Female delegates trying to speak on peace with the Taliban were told to sit down and shut up, raising fears that future governments will not protect their rights.