USIP Summer Institute Trains Secondary School Teachers to Address International Conflict Resolution in the Classroom

For the 16th straight year, the Institute has sponsored a week-long symposium on international conflict resolution for secondary school teachers from around the United States. This year's symposium took place at USIP headquarters in Washington, DC this week, bringing together teachers from 14 states and Puerto Rico to develop skills for incorporating lessons about international conflict management, security and peacebuilding into the classroom.

For six days, the Institute's education program staff worked with the group, who came to Washington on all-expense-paid USIP scholarships, helping them think about how to address these important themes across the academic spectrum. Many of the teachers teach history and government, but others come from a background in geography, psychology and economics.

The symposium addresses many of the same peacebuilding themes on which the Institute focuses its efforts in the field. The group used case studies from North Korea, Iranian/US relations, and the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict to develop teaching models and role play activities that can help teenagers better understand the importance of conflict resolution skills in international policymaking.

"Teachers face an extraordinary challenge in helping their students think critically about the international conflicts they read about in the news," said Pamela Aall, vice president of the Institute's education program. "We developed this symposium in the early 1990s because we think it is essential for teachers to have the skills necessary to add these themes to their curricula, and we look forward to continuing the project long into the future."

 Click here to read this year's agenda.

Iraq and the Gulf States: The Balance of Fear
August 2007 | Special Report | Jon B. Alterman
It would seem intuitive that Iraq's smaller Gulf Arab neighbors—Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman—would want the country's transition to a stable and peaceful order to succeed. Long fearful of Saddam Hussein and the instability he caused, the region could breathe easier and concentrate on urgent domestic issues with his removal.

Future Peacemakers
July/August 2007 | Peace Watch
The new July/August 2007 edition of Peace Watch highlights the National Peace Essay Contest week, the experiences of USIP staff in our Baghdad office, and senior fellow Betty Bigombe who is a mediator between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army and has worked to reintegrate child soldiers into their communities.

Journey of Death: Suicide Bombers in Iraq
July 2007 | USIPeace Briefing | Christina Caan
Over the past four years, suicide bombings have become a choice weapon of the insurgency in Iraq. Today, terrorists and insurgents perpetrate suicide attacks regularly, taking a profound physical and psychological toll on the local population and the multinational forces serving in the country.

Public Health and Conflict in Iraq: Rebuilding a Nation's Health
July 2007 | USIPeace Briefing | Sarah Dye and Linda Bishai
On March 22, 2007, the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) Task Force on Public Health and Conflict held its third symposium, Iraq: Rebuilding a Nation's Health. The Task Force is committed to raising the profile of conflict analysis and resolution in the field of public health education.

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