Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding:
The Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding Projects at the University of Marylands Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) work to facilitate the prevention or transformation of complex, violent conflicts, using the techniques of multi-track or citizens' diplomacy. Building on the pioneering work of CIDCM's founding Director, Edward Azar, the Co-Directors of the Project, Edward (Edy) Kaufman and John Davies, have developed related projects in dozens of countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
The Projects work with local partners in vulnerable, high-risk countries to help them build a sustainable, just and inclusive peace. Finding common ground across cultural, religious, ethnic and political divides, partners representing the parties to a conflict collaborate in promoting constructive change primarily through addressing human needs.
The Sufis, and in their different ways, mystical poets from all the great spiritual traditions included in this album, speak of four layers of the heart. These layers correspond to four main approaches to peace. From the more outward-oriented, conventional approach of using political, economic and military power to assert control and impose order; to the deeper work of building and adapting a democratic consensus on how to manage conflict based on whats right (civil rights, human rights, laws or norms based on cultural or religious traditions); to the still deeper work of the heart out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing.
This deeper work (third layer) is more inclusive and integrative, going beyond judgments of right and wrong, and differences in power, to bring stakeholders together in partnership across political, cultural and religious divides to discover and address the core human needs that if overlooked, drive the parties in complex, violent and protracted conflicts which are insoluble from the outside or in terms of right and wrong. Once our core humanity and needs (for identity as well as security, distributive justice etc.) are respected and addressed, we have a stake in building and sustaining peace, and can work with others as needed partners. In the words of the poets in this album, the differences would disappear as we come together to bring forth the larger elephant story hidden from our separate perspectives.
Ultimately, peace is only sustainable when we experience it directly in our hearts (the light within the flame). Without this encouragement of lightwe all remain too frightened. To the extent we have this experience, then we are the peace, there is no separation between means and ends, us and them: even the phrase each other doesnt make any sense. This is the core message of the poets in all traditions, to waken the innermost layer of the heart which connects all of us as human beings: Awake my dear, be kind to your sleeping heart; take it out to the vast fields of light and let it breathe. From this place, the sail just needs to open and the love begins. We have found that prayer, meditation, sacred music or any method for touching this deep reality where unity predominates can have a profound impact in peacemaking, opening possibilities where there seemed to be none. These Songs for Peace evoke and celebrate this work of love everywhere.
The Partners also help to build capacity for conflict prevention and transformation through providing training both locally and overseas, and through research and publications (see, for example, John Davies and Edward (Edy) Kaufman: Second Track/Citizens' Diplomacy: Concepts and Applied Techniques for Conflict Transformation, Rowman and Littlefield, 2003). They collaborate with other CIDCM projects to incorporate the results of their most advanced analytical research into the work of the Project (see, for example, John Davies and Ted Robert Gurr: Preventive Measures: Building Risk Assessment and Crisis Early Warning Systems. Lanham MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1998) - more info on these publications via link at bottom of page.
Finally, Partners Project faculty participate in developing regional and global crisis early warning and early response programs, designed to promote preventive diplomacy rather than reactive measures after violence has already taken hold, see for example, 'Peace and Conflict 2005'.
Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding
The Projects work with local partners in vulnerable, high-risk countries to help them build a sustainable, just and inclusive peace. Finding common ground across cultural, religious, ethnic and political divides, partners representing the parties to a conflict collaborate in promoting constructive change primarily through addressing human needs.
The Sufis, and in their different ways, mystical poets from all the great spiritual traditions included in this album, speak of four layers of the heart. These layers correspond to four main approaches to peace. From the more outward-oriented, conventional approach of using political, economic and military power to assert control and impose order; to the deeper work of building and adapting a democratic consensus on how to manage conflict based on whats right (civil rights, human rights, laws or norms based on cultural or religious traditions); to the still deeper work of the heart out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing.
This deeper work (third layer) is more inclusive and integrative, going beyond judgments of right and wrong, and differences in power, to bring stakeholders together in partnership across political, cultural and religious divides to discover and address the core human needs that if overlooked, drive the parties in complex, violent and protracted conflicts which are insoluble from the outside or in terms of right and wrong. Once our core humanity and needs (for identity as well as security, distributive justice etc.) are respected and addressed, we have a stake in building and sustaining peace, and can work with others as needed partners. In the words of the poets in this album, the differences would disappear as we come together to bring forth the larger elephant story hidden from our separate perspectives.
Ultimately, peace is only sustainable when we experience it directly in our hearts (the light within the flame). Without this encouragement of lightwe all remain too frightened. To the extent we have this experience, then we are the peace, there is no separation between means and ends, us and them: even the phrase each other doesnt make any sense. This is the core message of the poets in all traditions, to waken the innermost layer of the heart which connects all of us as human beings: Awake my dear, be kind to your sleeping heart; take it out to the vast fields of light and let it breathe. From this place, the sail just needs to open and the love begins. We have found that prayer, meditation, sacred music or any method for touching this deep reality where unity predominates can have a profound impact in peacemaking, opening possibilities where there seemed to be none. These Songs for Peace evoke and celebrate this work of love everywhere.
The Partners also help to build capacity for conflict prevention and transformation through providing training both locally and overseas, and through research and publications (see, for example, John Davies and Edward (Edy) Kaufman: Second Track/Citizens' Diplomacy: Concepts and Applied Techniques for Conflict Transformation, Rowman and Littlefield, 2003). They collaborate with other CIDCM projects to incorporate the results of their most advanced analytical research into the work of the Project (see, for example, John Davies and Ted Robert Gurr: Preventive Measures: Building Risk Assessment and Crisis Early Warning Systems. Lanham MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1998) - more info on these publications via link at bottom of page.
Finally, Partners Project faculty participate in developing regional and global crisis early warning and early response programs, designed to promote preventive diplomacy rather than reactive measures after violence has already taken hold, see for example, 'Peace and Conflict 2005'.
Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding
