Compass Newsletter - Spring 2011

8/6/2019 Compass Newsletter - Spring 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/compass-newsletter-spring-2011 1/12SPRING 201

Fighting Crime With Compassiony Marissa Wong, WorldLink journalist

Volume 5, Issue 2

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO’S JOAN B. KROC SCHOOL OF PEACE STUDIES

PEACE & JUSTICECompass

Students o all classes, ethnicities and perspectives werecon ronted with the same question in the opening

lenary: “What will your legacy be?” asked JonathonWhite, a Drug En orcement Administration agent. White

ncouraged students to realize their circle o in uencend to use their power in it or the better, as “peace andompassion ow through relationships.”

While I was truly inspired, I didn’t understand how ompassion could possibly make a dent in human and weaponsra fcking, gangs and drugs. Yet throughout the day, I realized how

wrong my preconceptions were. Youth are o ten cultured to believehat to fght an evil, we must be equally evil. We are surrounded by mages o war, armed violence and recurring destruction. But the Youth own Meeting showed its attendants that what the world really needs isompassion. While an AK-47 can immediately eliminate a problem in aerson’s li e, compassion is what picks up the pieces and sews together he beginnings o new li e.

criminal intelligence analyst or the San Diego County Sheri ’sDepartment identifed a gang’s o er o amily and respect as one o themain reasons adolescents are drawn to criminal li estyles. In the war againstangs, compassion is one o the most e ective combatants. Youth must behown that there are other means to a sense o belonging and acceptance.

Students in attorney Lilia Velasquez’s briefng on humantra fcking learned that thedi fculty is not only fndingand rescuing victims, butalso keeping them out o thetra fcking ring. “Fi ty percent o rescue victims in India will goback [to their tra fckers],”explained Velasquez, “because

hat is the only place they will be accepted.” Those lucky enough toscape do not always ind justice upon their return home – they

are o ten rejected btheir owncommunitiesand amilies. For tra icking victimto truly re-createtheir lives, a shi t imillions o mindsearound the worldmust occur.

Meriam Palma, adocumentarian who

ocuses on the war-torn communities o Mindanao in thePhilippines, spoke abo

changing mindsets in her own country by exposing deeply rootedprejudices between Christians and Muslims and building bridges o understanding.

“With compassion, we see [the humanity in others],” said an InstitutoMéxico Americano Noroeste student who identifed with Palma’s story.

“We understand what makes them su er.” (For more on Palma’s visit and work, see page 10.)

Countless causes have led to this con ict-str icken world: The lack o connection we eel to human li e. The distance created by guns and bullets.The ability to dehumanize others and isolate them rom society. Thetendency to discard people we don’t understand. But compassion candrive us toward a uture without these realities.

In the words o WorldLink participant Maryanne Aguilar o High Tech High International, “Compassion drives people to want justice.” We havethe key, and as Jonathon White said, we have the circle o in uence.

Above all, we have a legacy to leave. What will your next move be?

Guest contributor Marissa Wong is a senior at High Tech High Inte

On Jan. 21, 2011, more than 750 middle and high school students rom San Diego and Tijuana gathered at the University o San Diego or WorldLink’s 14th Annual YouthTown Meeting. This year’s student-selected theme was “Crimes Without Borders: Threats to Human Security,” ocusing on the local, nationalnd international implications o human tra cking, transnational gangs,errorism, drugs and small arms.

A student delegate raises a question during a briefng session

High school student delegates rom CETYSUniversidad in Tijuana

We are surrounded by images o war, armed recurring destruction. But the Youth Town Meattendants that what the world really needs is


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/compass-newsletter-spring-2011 2/12| SPRING 2011

Voices of Experience

Distinguished Lecture Series

| SPRING 2011

Building on an electri ying September presentation by Chie Commissioner o the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission,

Monica McWilliams, the Distinguished Lecture Series brought in twoery di erent but equally eminent speakers: Johan Galtung, the “ ather

peace studies,” and Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. ambassador-at-large or war rimes issues.

Galtung spent several hours with students be ore his public lecturen “Breaking the Cycle o Violent Con ict.” He challenged students –

many o whom sought advice about the con icts a ecting their homeountries, including South Korea, Nigeria and Sudan – to stepack rom the immediate acts o the con ict and dig deeper nto the history and root causes in order to better understandhe parties to the con ict and possible long-term solutions.ven in areas that saw no direct violence, he pointed out thetructural violence that leaves certain groups with shorter li epans, little access to the benefts o commerce or government,nd no voice in the development o their communities.

tructural violence churns out su ering and death,” Galtungmphasized. “It can have the economic orm o making basicatisfers o human needs impossible or lack o cash or lack

possibilities or growing ood. It can have the political orm repression. It can have the cultural orm o alienation. And

ooner or later, it will show up as su ering o various kinds.”

He returned to the IPJ Boardroom the ollowing morning a ter studentssked or more time to delve into the theories he has developed over 0 years o teaching and writing – and the mediation experience thatas shaped those theories. He spoke o “human security” as providingasic needs that are non-negotiable: to be alive, to have a minimum level

physical well-being, and to have the reedom o choice, o the spiritnd the mind. The process he shared with students o mapping con ictormation, determining legitimate goals o the parties and bridging those

goals sounded deceptively easy, but he acknowledged the di fculty inmeasuring results in con ict resolution.

One o the interesting elements o Galtung’s work as a mediator in over 100 con icts has been his re usal to accept any government unding. It

allows him complete reedom, he explained, because it prevents eventhe appearance o a con ict o interest or bias that can be toxic topeace processes.

Ambassador Rapp, on the other hand, represents the United States in thehalls o governments and the homes o victims o war crimes all over the world, as he pushes or better understanding o international humanrights law and justice or victims o genocide, war crimes and crimesagainst humanity.

Rapp had previously served as a prosecutor in the International CriminalTribunal or Rwanda, where his o fce achieved the frst convictionsin history or leaders o mass media or the crime o direct and publicincitement to commit genocide. And in the Special Court or SierraLeone, Rapp achieved groundbreaking convictions or sexual slavery and

orced marriage as crimes against humanity.

He arrived at the institute a ter several months o bone-wearyingtravel, touching down in almost every countr y where violent con ict isaccompanied by atrocities and where justice systems have o ten been

weakened by war.

A ter meeting with students to discuss post-con ict tribunals, specialcourts, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other justiceinstruments, Rapp mingled with USD aculty, donors and special guestsat a reception be ore presenting his talk on “Achieving Justice or the

Victims o Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.” With the United States involved in supporting or encouraging justice e orts

in multiple countrRapp handled widranging questions

rom the audiencon issues such asgender violence,the United Statesinteraction with the ICC and theimpact o justicecon ict preventio

“We owe it to all ohumankind to mthe institutions onational and

international justice so e ective that there is at least the possibility thatit will deter the worst crimes known to humankind,” Rapp declared. Thegoal may be ambitious, but through his dedication and that o thousandso investigators, lawyers, civil society groups, judges, peacekeepers,military o fcers and courageous witnesses – including victims – theprocess has begun.

To watch any o the Distinguished Lecture Series talks or read tinterviews with the speakers, go to http://peace.sandiego.edu/dls

We owe it to all o humankind to make the institutions o national and international justice so efective that there is at least the possibility that it will deter the worst crimes knownto humankind.

— Stephen Rapp

Ambassador Rapp addresses the challenges o achieving justice or victims o genocide,war crimes and crimes against humanity

Galtung talking with a student a ter his lecture



Peace Talks & Justice MattersBy Executive Director Milburn Line

PJ MISSION ostering Peace, Cultivating Justice and CreatingSa er World. Through education, research andeacemaking activities, the IPJ o ers programshat advance scholarship and practice in con ictesolution and human rights.

EACE & JUSTICE COMPASS he Peace & Justice Compass newsletter isublished by the Joan B. Kroc Institute or Peace

& Justice at the University o San Diego’s Joan B.Kroc School o Peace Studies.

n online version o this newsletter can beound at http://peace.sandiego.edu together ith additional in ormation about IPJ programsnd activities. The views expressed here are notecessarily those o the University o San Diego.

resident, University o San DiegoMary E. Lyons, Ph.D.

rovost, University o San Diegoulie H. Sullivan, Ph.D.

ean, Joan B. Kroc School o Peace StudiesWilliam Headley, C.S.Sp., Ph.D.

xecutive Director an B. Kroc Institute or Peace & Justice

Milburn Line, M.A.

ditor, Peace & Justice CompassKaitlin Barker and Emiko Noma, M.S.

ontributors

ee Aker, Marisa Alioto, Karla Alvarez, Kaitlinarker, Ryan Blystone, Jenni er Freeman, Chrisroth, Diana Kutlow, Milburn Line, Elena

McCollim, Emiko Noma, Meriam Palma, Dustinharp and Marissa Wong

esignuchanan Design, San Diego

eace & Justice Policy Brief – the IPJ’s new occasional seriesesigned to contribute to policy initiatives that address challenges in

eacebuilding, human rights and con ict resolution Milburn Line. “Retooling U.S. Policy or Peace in Colombia.” Feb. 11, 2011.www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/ipj/publications/PolicyBrie s.php

Women PeaceMakers Conference Report licia Simoni. “Precarious Progress: U.N. Resolutions on Women,eace and Security.” Final Report. http://catcher.sandiego.edu/items/ eacestudies/2010_IPJ_Con erence_Report.pd

Dee Aker and Jennifer FreemanWomen are Essential to Peacebuilding.” Peace Policy. November 2010.

or real global security, put women in their place – at the negotiatingable.” Christian Science Monitor . Dec. 3, 2010.

Milburn Line“Eyes on the prize in China.” San Diego Union-Tribune . Jan. 22, 2011.

“Don’t Downsize Democracy - Here or Abroad.” Hu fngton Post .March 2, 2011.

Recent Ipj Publications Advocate For Policy Changes

For updates on the institute’s work, opinion pieces, reports rom thefeld and more, visit the IPJ Blog at http://sites.sandiego.edu/ipj

IPJ Blog

O n these pages you will fnd the IPJ engaging a broad spectrumo people on matters o peace and justice, rom youth in

Tijuana to women peacemakers in Nepal, West A rican rightsadvocates, historically excluded Mayans and our own U.S. military.The April 2011 congressional budget vote narrowly avertedleaving private institutes and other civil society e orts as the only

peace enterprises in the United States. While institutes like the IPJcan build bridges (page 5), conduct targeted feld interventions

(pages 4 and 5) and in orm policy (below), they cannot replace substantive national policies andagencies dedicated to building just and peace ul societies.

The budget that passed Congress cut $8 billion rom international a airs e orts through the U.S.Institute o Peace, U.S. Agency or International Development and the U.S. Department o State.Counter to common misperceptions, the U.S. government only spends about 1 percent o itsbudget on oreign aid. The American Friends Service Committee estimates we spend $720 milliona day in A ghanistan and Iraq when we account or medical treatment o wounded veterans,replacing destroyed equipment, paying interest on the debt incurred and yearly operational costs.

Are our peace, justice and development initiatives – which o er the possibility o preventingcon ict and generating long-term social and political stability – not worth the equivalent o what

we spend in a ew days or weeks on two wars? Do the men and women who serve in our armedorces not deserve an investment that might preclude them rom being called to risk their lives?

Looking back over history, the initiatives o peace and justice advocates have produced someo humanity’s greatest achievements: the abolition o slavery, civil rights, decolonization,democratization, international law, nuclear disarmament regimes and voting r ights or women.Peace e orts are not simply articulations o idealistic goals but increasingly built around thepractices and methodologies o con ict prevention, truth-telling, pluralistic dialogue andnegotiation and institutional re orm, concepts readily apparent in the IPJ’s feldwork.

A 3D vision o security that builds on balanced e orts or development, diplomacy and de ensehas been advanced by Secretary o De ense Robert Gates. Over time a peace architectureencompasses and strengthens our current concept o hard security by ensuring inclusive

dialogue, participation and institutional response that can address both ongoing violence andstructural violence, the injustices that underpin historic con icts. We have begun to tr y to orge a

vision or that peace architecture through the feld projects, policy advocacy initiatives and civil-military dialogue you will fnd highlighted in these pages.

As we continue to be engaged in wars that cost hundreds o thousands o lives and trillions o dollars, the methods o preventing and trans orming con ict – the science o peace and justice –is a resource we cannot a ord to eliminate rom our strategy.



IPJ In The FieldNepal Country Partner Spotlight – Sano Paila

Sano Paila (“A Little Step”)

is a community-based, nonproft,nongovernmental

organization inBirgunj, in thesocially oppressedborder regiono the Terai insouthern Nepal.

Youth- ounded andrun, the averageage o its executivecommittee is 28.

ano Paila has built a network o over 1,000 volunteers, mostly students,hroughout Parsa District with the ultimate goal o mobilizing their ommunities to raise awareness and solve local issues. As its 26-year-oldounder and executive president, Kanchan Jha, says, “It is not always theovernment that can bring change. It is the people. We elt the need too something, at least take a step – a little step – because as we all know,long journey begins with a little step.”

artnering with Sano Paila over the past year, the IPJ has had thepportunity to learn rom and o er peacebuilding skills to this inspiring

Kanchan Jha (right) with IPJ Deputy Director Dee Aker (le t)n Nepal’s Terai region

| SPRING 2011

group and members o the community they are serving. In early 2010, Jhaattended an IPJ workshop about using a whole community approach totackle problems being ignored by the government and security sectors.

A ew months later, in partnership with the district police o fce, districtadministration o fce and the Armed Police Force, Sano Paila members

success ully encouraged armers to switch rom growing marijuana andopium to legal crops such as vegetables. The police had not been willingto risk this encounter alone, and the central government was largely ignoring the issue.

The initial results o the campaign have been positive, with drug armingcurrently at an all-time low in the district. Jha and his team are now creating sustainable livelihood programs or the armers to prevent them

rom switching back to illicit crops.

The organization has received extensive recognition or its undertakings.It was selected as one o Asia’s 100 Young Entrepreneur and SocialChangemaker Organizations or 2009-10 by the Foundation or Youth Social Entrepreneurship. For its e orts to stop drug tra fcking, it washonored on Nepal Police Day 2010 by the Narayani Zonal Police O fceand eatured in an Al Jazeera story highlighting Nepal’s drug tra fckingchallenges. Jha was also recently chosen as one o Nepal’s top 50 aspiring

youths by ECS Nepal magazine, and was a speaker at the WorldLink YouthTown Meeting in January.

Pursuing Justice In QuichéThe ollowing is a re ection rom IPJ Executive Director Milburn Line, written while in the feld.

eturning to Guatemala’s highlands always brings on mixed emotions. Caught betweenknowledge o the unspeakable cruelty o the last 50 years and the vibrancy and resilience

o people still working to achieve justice despite an egregious experience o repression, I fndmysel wondering: What can we realistically expect rom our small project?

The Quiché department was the site o the worst violence during Guatemala’s civil war, and thelegacies o impunity and violence are evident to this day. As we started our project in August2010, the regional drug lord was gunned down on the streets o Santa Cruz. The government o Guatemala has declared a state o siege in the department o Alta Verapaz and deployed the army in Huehuetenango, immediately east and west, respectively, o Quiché, to try to stem the drug

violence encroaching southward rom Mexico. Guatemala vies with El Salvador and Honduras or the highest murder rate in the world, and 98 percent o crimes go unprosecuted.

Our Legal Empowerment in Quiché Project has spent the frst six months working with localsto defne how best to address current justice challenges like rampant violence against women,abuse o authority, and con icts at the community level that o ten result in lynching. We began

with a baseline survey to defne the panorama o justice needs according to the priorities o locals. The project then organized a participatory strategic planning process with key actors inthe justice sector and civil society. Now we are ready to put an operational plan together.

As I sit down with the team at the Barbara Ford Peace Center, the IPJ’s local partner, they havehanded me a welcome surprise, something they hadn’t told me about be orehand: a seven-pagedra t o a work plan with 17 activities they have designed based on all our e orts to date. It may

sound strange to be excited about a work plan, but what could be more rewarding thanthe opportunity to accompany these peoplein pursuit o justice in Quiché?

To ollow the progress o the Legal Empowerment in Quiché Project, go towww.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/ipj/

feld/guatemala/LegalEmpowermentinQuicheProject.php

It may sound strange to be excited about a work plan, but what could be more rewarding than the opportunity to accompany these people in pursuit o justice in Quiché?

Tapestry rom the Barbara Ford Peace Ce(photo courtesy o Crystal Dujowich)

R



“ Karibu! Hello, my name is Mercy. Welcome to Daraja.”

Then came Faith, Joan, Molly, Everlyn, Hadija … until 77 warm hugs andbright smiles greeted IPJ Program O fcer Karla Alvarez and a delegationo USD students and sta to the Daraja Academy in Nanyuki, Kenya. In

partnership with USD’s School o Leadership and Education Sciences(SOLES), the IPJ’s WorldLink Program was invited to lead a series o

workshops on leadership, gender, school success and global education atthe secondary school.

Daraja, Swahili or “bridge,” was ounded by USD and WorldLink alum Jason Doherty, who wanted to provide an education or girls with limited means in Kenya. The campus now thrives with 77 girls and 11dedicated teachers.

It takes only a ew hours to understand why these young women arere erred to as WISH – Women o Integrity, Strength and Hope. Many o the Daraja students come rom broken homes and extreme poverty.

Were it not or Daraja’s ree high school education – including meals,school supplies and roomand board – they wouldlikely remain in their hometowns not attendingschool and orced to wor

“There is a real hunger oeducation here,” shared ono the teachers.

Daraja provided a plat oto continue expanding WorldLink. Three M.A.students rom SOLES

worked with Alvarezto develop a documentary

questionnaire and workshop. The team interviewed 15 Daraja students,learning about their amilies, values and goals or improving Kenya.

All 77 students then participated in a WorldLink workshop exploringtheir concerns on various social justice issues. The discussionshighlighted rustration and concern over the lack o access to education,especially or young women, and limited job prospects in Kenya.

However, the students are acutely aware o their potential as youth andthe role they play in the uture o their country. They see educationas the most vital step in improving their society and are committed toexpanding opportunities or other young people’s education in order tocreate a wiser, stronger generation o youth to lead Kenya.

In the coming months, WorldLink Interns will review the ootagetaken while in Kenya to create a documentary highlighting these young women’sstories and dedication to make adi erence in their communities.

There is a real hunger or education here. — Daraja teacher

Dustin Sharp, assistant professor in the Joan B. Kroc School of PeaceStudies, spent part of

January training humanrights advocates in twoWest African countries. The project is managed and funded by the IPJ and theOpen Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

Q: Can you brie y describe where you were and what you wereoing specifcally?

: I spent 16 days divided between Conakry, Guinea, and Monrovia,iberia, to launch a year-long training project with leading human

ights organizations in both countries. The goal o the program is toharpen advocacy skills and particularly the development o advocacy ampaigns on the basis o solid feld research and policy analysis. I call research-based advocacy. The frst phase o the training takes place

n the classroom and includes role-play simulations, dra ting exercisesnd other activities.

Q: What are the next steps?

: Though the work in the classroom is an important start, the heart the training exercise will come in the course o 2011 as the trainee

rganizations go out into their communities to document specifc humanights violations, dra t a report on the basis o that research and then usehe report as a springboard or an advocacy campaign to try to changehe situation. I will supervise the process, serving as trainer and mentor asach organization moves through the ull, research-based advocacy cycle.

Q: What progress or lack thereo do you see in this region since you started his project?

: Guinea and Liberia are located in a troubled and volatileeighborhood that has not known stability or the last 20 years. Though

Guinea and Liberia are now much more stable than in previousears, renewed tensions in Cote d’Ivoire and continuing cross-border ecruitment o mercenaries threaten some o the gains that have been

made. Because the various con icts that have devastated the sub-regionince the early 1990s are so intertwined, we have chosen to work in all

our countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone.

Q: When does this project fnish, and what do you see as next steps?

: The project should fnish once the year-long training cycle in Cote’Ivoire is completed in 2012. I am currently in discussions with OSIWA bout possibilities or expansion o the work beyond 2012. But whether his particular project goes on, our relationship with local partners inhe region will continue in one orm or another. For example, I expecthat in Summer 2011, several Kroc students will travel to Guinea andiberia to serve as interns within the organizations I am training. It’s one the ways we are trying to build bridges between theory and practice

ere at the School o Peace Studies.

Q&A With Dustin Sharp On The West AfricanHuman Rights Training Initiative

A human rights trainee in Guinea takes part n a recommendation dra ting exercisen January 2011

WorldLink Bridges In Kenya

Program O cer Karla Alvarez (le t) with AngelChavarin and Leticia Fierro, both M.A. studentsin the SOLES counseling program, interviewing Maureen, a Form 3 Daraja student


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swallowed her next words. “Aaaiiiiiii.” Ekai’s knees olded and she cradledher own head in her hands. “So many…”

Ekai swayed, unable to speak, shaking her head and beating the dirt oor asSarah pushed past her into the street, her baby still sleeping in her arms. …

Smoke hovered above what was once the villages’ hub. The air, heavy with the smell o razed homes, made her want to vomit – the spicy smell o charred wood rom the huts’ walls mingled with the sweet, noxious scento melted plastic rom jerrycans. And there was the smell o roasted esh. …

The villages that made up Kainuk Sublocation were quiet. Sarah could only imagine that those who had survived had ed. She walked through the

villages to the center, still hot rom fre. Hut a ter hut was charred, ash andsmoke and sparks rising to the sky in a memorial o ering. A mother’s body,crisp and dark, lay circled around the remains o a child. This is Akunoit’shut. This is her child . Sarah took a ew more steps. This is Pastor David

Ngorkit’s house. These are his two children. Sarah kept walking, the impac

o what had happened surrounding her like a cloud with each body shepassed. 27, 28, 29.

White-headed vultures – ngataruk – circled silently above her, on their wato gather at some point urther ahead on the path. She wished the birds

would make some noise, that something would interrupt the silence o the

place. She squinted her eyes and looked side to side, up and down, eelinga warning. Step by step, she approached the ocal point o the birds.

A stick, sturdy and long, thrust into the ground like a agpole. At the top,a small child, burned.

Sarah reached behind her to touch the warmth o Mellan’s body, wrapped so tightly against her own. It seemed that the smoldering frehad jumped inside her. Inside her breast, ull with milk, there was a heatthat was new to her.

These things must stop. I want to make this stop.

It was a ternoon and the heat o the day was at its ullest. Sarah sat inthe corner o her aunts’ home in Kitale, baby Mellan at her breast. Flesh

gainst esh, warm and moist, Sarah and her baby shared a moment o uiet in the middle o the day, beads o sweat sealing their skin. …

arah – Akoru to her aunts – rocked her body back and orth, humming

lullaby and encouraging the baby to welcome sleep when she lookedp to see her Aunt Ekai entering the home. “Akoru,” Ekai whispered. Shetood in the doorway. Her ace was bathed in shadow as the sun leakednto the house around her rame. She leaned against the door jam, her ody bowed in grie , keening. “Akoru, Kainuk is fnished.”

inished?” Though the word made sense, its meaning didn’t penetrate,o immersed was Sarah in the sleeping magic she shared with her child.

What do you mean fnished ?”

The Pokots have raided,” Sarah’s aunt stopped, as her breath heaved and

Women PeaceMakers Program

he Women PeaceMakers Program documents the stories and best ractices o international women leaders who are involved in humanghts and peacemaking e orts in their home countries. The ollowing an excerpt rom the narrative story “A Smoldering Fire,” rom mpowered to Hope: The Li e and Peacebuilding Work o Sarah Akoru

ochodo o Kenya, written by Peace Writer Sigrid Tornquist.

he ull narrative and additional in ormation on Lochodo and Kenya,s well as other narratives o the Women PeaceMakers, can be ound at

www.sandiego.edu/peacestudies/ipj/programs/women_peace_makers/ ublications/narratives

Te Bullet Cannot Pick and Choose ,” on Vaiba Kebeh Flomo o Liberiaby Sara Koenders

Te Candle o Bangladesh ,” on Shinjita Alam o Bangladesh by Ilze Dzenovska

Caring or the Diaspora ,” on Nora Chengeto Tapiwa o Zimbabweby Sofa Javed

Latest Narratives Published“Empowered to Hope ,” on Sarah Akoru Lochodo o Kenya– by Sigrid Tornquist

“Te Latecomer, ” on Zarina Salamat o Pakistan – by Kathleen Hughart

“Te Power o Powerlessness ,” on Merlie “Milet” B. Mendoza o thePhilippines – by Mary Liepold

| SPRING 2011

he narratives o Women PeaceMakers are now being used in the curriculum at the Daraja Academy in Kenya.ee page 5 or IPJ Program O fcer Karla Alvarez’ report rom Daraja.

The Making Of A PeaceMaker

Assistant Chie Lochodo with armed men in Turkana, Kenya

The villages that made up Kainuk Sublocatio… She walked through the villages to the ce rom re. Hut a ter hut was charred, ash ansparks rising to the sky in a memorial oferin



don’t care i you call yoursel a ‘ eminist,’ a ‘woman’srights activist’ or a ‘humanitarian.’ I you believe

n women’s human rights, we are working together.nd there’s still too much work to be done.” Leymah

Gbowee, Liberian activist and star o “Pray the DevilBack to Hell,” stood during the U.N. Commission on the

tatus o Women (CSW), hands raised, doing what sheas become amous or: mobilizing women and men toght or equal rights and peace.

Held or two weeks each year at U.N. Headquarters in New York, CSW is about just that. Fromebruary 21 to 25, IPJ Deputy Director Dee Aker and Program O fcer Jenni er Freeman attendedSW to learn rom and share the IPJ’s work with a variety o women representatives romround the globe. During a parallel event, Aker and Freeman launched the fnal report rom thePJ’s 2010 international con erence “Precarious Progress.” Despite a room limit o 70, the eventttracted more than 110 attendees or the discussion on the progress achieved on U.N. Security ouncil Resolution 1325.

his year’s CSW was a time to celebrate hard-won achievements while regrouping and movingorward in the work to realize the most basic human rights or hal the world’s population. Asctivists like Leymah know well, there is still too much work to be done.

Building on the experience and recommendations o eight years o the Women PeaceMakers(WPM) Program, Asian WPM alumnae convened in Nepal rom Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, 2011, to

aunch the inaugural Women PeaceMakers Asia Regional Network. The 10-day summit wasesigned as a pilot project to share ideas and learning on regional issues and peacebuildingtrategies between WPMs in the region, and to share that expertise with local communities,

oliticians, civil society and peacebuilders.

Creating a WPM Asia Regional Network expands andrein orces the already well-established network o peacebuilders who are part o the WPM program.In the Asia region this network includes 12 women

rom A ghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia,Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Koreaand Sri Lanka. As WPM Shreen Saroor o Sri Lankastated, “I our nations’ governments are meeting, andour region’s military leaders are meeting, we thepeacemakers must also be meeting!”

he peacemakers convened in Nepal as the country navigates a tumultuous path out o itsecent violent con ict. Supported by the IPJ’s long history and strong institutional ties in theountry, three WPMs – Milet Mendoza and Mary Ann Arnado o the Philippines and Shreenaroor o Sri Lanka – and IPJ sta members Dee Aker and Jenni er Freeman were hosted by M.A.

n peace and justice studies graduate Shobha Shrestha (‘08), executive director o Women or eace & Democracy – Nepal. Together, the WPMs carried out a series o roundtable discussions,

workshops and media interviews with local constituencies o women politicians, civil society eaders in Kathmandu and peacebuilders in the rural district o Makwanpur.

n addition to the opportunity the WPMs had to convene and share issues and expertise, they lso made an impact on the Nepali women they engaged with. “I was very much impressed and

motivated with the three peacemakers,” said Jamuna Lama, a participant in a civil society roundtable.Their work with the combatants, government and con icting groups, [women’s] role as mediators

nd [the] integration o economic programs with peace can be used on our context too.”

Program Launches Asia Regional Network

A CSW attendee asks a question during the parallel event

Women PeaceMakers (l-r) Mendoza, Saroor nd Arnado in Kathmandu

At CSW, Still Working Together For Women’s Rights

USD Receives Award For Ipj’s Women PeaceMakers Program

The WomenPeaceMakers

Program, now in its nin year, was recognizedin the selection o theUniversity o San Dieas a recipient o the

prestigious Senator Paul Simon Spotlight AwardThe award, presented by NAFSA: Association oInternational Educators, is given to colleges or e orts to internationalize their campuses.

Luz Méndez o Guatemala co-authored a

new book entitled Paths Traveled: Women’sStruggles and Situation 13 Years a ter the

Peace Accords.

In January, Shukrije Gashi o Kosovo, Raya Kadyrova o Kyrgyzstan and Luz Méndez oGuatemala joined IPJ Deputy Director Dee Akerat the “Women Mediating Con ict” policy orumin Washington, D.C. Hosted by the Institute or Inclusive Security, participants explored whether

women mediators can change the ocus,dynamic and outcome o peace negotiations

Peace Writers Jackee Batanda, Sofa Javed anSigrid ornquist are recent award recipients.Batanda was given a Young Achievers Award,

which recognizes excellence and innovationamong Ugandan citizens aged 18 to 35. Theaward was presented by President YoweriMuseveni. Javed was named an Al a Fellow in ahigh-level pro essional development exchangeprogram that places young pro essionals atleading organizations in Russia. She will leavein June or a year-long placement in Moscow.Tornquist’s work “Perspective,” in the magazineSpecialty Fabrics Review , was awarded Gold the category Best Regular Column, given by theMinnesota Magazine & Publishers Association

Peace Writer Alicia Simoni returned to the IPJlast all to serve as rapporteur or the WomenPeaceMakers Con erence “Precarious Progress:U.N. Resolutions on Women, Peace and SecurityShe authored the fnal report that was launchedat a parallel session o the U.N. Commission onthe Status o Women in February.

Updates On Women PeaceMakersAnd Peace Writers

I



On March 30, 2011, the IPJ hosted a

civil-military discussion acilitatedby Lisa Schirch, Ph.D., executive director o the 3D Security Initiative, which has developed a Civil Society-Military Roadmap or Human Security. Thedialogue included one admiral, twogenerals, 10 other o fcers rom the U.S.Navy and U.S. Marines, and 10 civilians.

Schirch has expertise in Iraq and A ghanistan, and has spent time in both countries acilitating dialogue betweencivil society and the military. Civil-military cooperation has become more important as the U.S. military is increasingly asked to addressnon-military challenges, including stabilization, development, reconstruction and humanitarianrelie . But civil-military collaboration is not only relevant in the humanitarian realm. In places like

A ghanistan and elsewhere it has proven necessary in combat scenarios, at a minimum to avoidunnecessary impact on civilians. Civil-military collaboration may eventually be most use ul or preventing con ict and, when that’s not possible, working to ensure a sustainable peace.

The civil-military discussion at the IPJ was ollowed by Schirch’s lecture on the need or acomprehensive peace process in A ghanistan, one that requires civil society, government andmilitary approaches to address deep-rooted political, economic and social con icts.

There is a story behind the history o theInternational Day or the Elimination o

Violence Against Women – and that story elongs to the three Mirabal sisters o the

Dominican Republic, who were murdered onNov. 25, 1960, or opposing Dominican dictator Ra ael Trujillo.

On Nov. 15, 2010 – days be ore the 50th nniversary o the sisters’ martyrdom –cclaimed author Julia Alvarez, whose novel Inhe Time o the Butter ies took the Mirabals’tory outside the borders o the Dominican

Republic, spoke at the IPJ. “Stories belong toll o us,” Alvarez said as she shared her ownxperience as a Dominican and the process o ncovering the Mirabal story. Alvarez also spoke

the responsibility o those who survive.

Who would know o these women?” shee ected. “My riends who knew history hadever heard o the Mirabal sisters.”

lvarez’ talk was ollowed by a per ormance romEveoke Dance Theatre, who presented excerpts

rom their production Las Mariposas , inspiredy Alvarez’ novel. The audience – many seated inver ow – watched as history was trans ormednto the sometimes grace ul, sometimes dramatic

movements o the Eveoke dancers.

The evening, co-sponsored by Eveoke DanceTheatre and The Cultural Worker, displayed thathere is more than one way to tell the stories

history. Some write it in the pages o a novel,nd some dance it on a stage.

IPJ Insider

| SPRING 2011

To a room o over 200 men and women celebrating the 100th

anniversary o International Women’s Dkeynote speaker Abigail Disney sharedher transition rom philanthropist to

flmmaker and advocate or women’srecognition in war zones and peaceprocesses across the globe. It started

with a hesitation and ear, shared with her husband be ore she got on a plane tLiberia a ter the inauguration o Ellen

Johnson-Sirlea . It was to be her frsttime in a post-con ict country. But Abigail realized she had to “go orward at my ears” in order toopen the space or something greater.

The result was “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” an award-winning documentary that highlightsthe role o Liberian women in pushing the armed groups to the peace table. The flm and itssuccess then led her to produce “Women, War & Peace,” a fve-part series to air on PBS in the all.

Abigail aired the trailer, which ocuses on A ghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia and Liberia, and asks thequestion, “What i you looked at war (and peace) as though women mattered?”

IPJ Program O fcer Jenni er Freeman closed the program with a stirring quotation rom JillRuckelshaus, who spoke at the 1977 National Women’s Political Caucus: “We are in or a very,

very long haul. … I am asking or everything you have to give. In return I have nothing to o er you but … the certain knowledge that at the end o your days you will be able to look back andsay that once in your li e, you gave everything you had or justice.”

Abigail Disney Keynotes Women’s Day Celebration

Abigail Disney speaking at the International Women’s Day Break ast

Schirch listening to U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Bthe civil-military discussion at the IPJ

IPJ Hosts A Civil-Military Discussion On 3D Security

ulia Alvarez SharesThe Art Of History

Stories belong to all o us. — Julia Alvarez

Eveoke dancers hide behind photos o the Dominican dictator Ra ael Trujillo as they dance a scene rom Las Mariposas

ulia Alvarez SharesThe Art Of History



A s the situation in Egypt un olded with protests, widespread violence and a major politicalstruggle or embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the IPJ hosted an impromptu

vent on February 3 to discuss the reasons behind such unrest.

Nearly 200 USD students, sta , aculty,alumni and members o the community flled two IPJ con erence rooms atlunchtime to listen, learn, engage andask what’s going on in Egypt and theMiddle East. Two USD Pro essors, NeclaTschirgi o the School o Peace Studiesand Avi Spiegel o the Departmento Political Science and InternationalRelations, spoke on the currentsituation and answered questions.

Milburn Line, IPJ executive director, was pleased with the turnout. “The IPJ wants to be able toespond to students’ concerns, issues, provide in ormation and provide a place or dialogue ando learn about these things.”

piegel and Tschirgi were on the same page regarding many aspects o the Egypt con ict andxpressed considerable interest in the allout. “The crisis in Egypt was entirely predictable. It hado erupt one way or the other,” said Tschirgi.

Tschirgi, a native o Turkey, has strong ties in Egypt. She was an adjunct pro essor o politicalcience at the American University in Cairo and coordinator o the Middle East Research

Competition program. She has been a requent visitor and has ollowed political developmentsn the country since 1991. In examining the events o the last several days, she believes Egypt’south are vitally important.

“I think they’ll defne what happensin Egypt in this next decade,” shesaid. “We have to support themto make sure that the process o trans ormation is progressive rather than regressive. It is possible to have

counter-revolution. I’m not that com ortable that everything is necessarily going to turn outositively, but with support, encouragement, guidance and setting orth alternatives, I think it canecome a source o rejuvenation or Egypt and the region as a whole.”

piegel, meanwhile, studied Middle East politics at Ox ord University, among his academicighlights. In addition to being an assistant pro essor at USD, he is also fnishing a book on theext generation o political Islam.

There’s never been a more ascinating time, in my li etime and defnitely in my students’ li etime,o study the Middle East and what’s happening right now,” he said.

Unrest In Egypt Prompts Discussion At IPJ

“Stirring The Fire” Fellowship Winner Announced

USD junior Emily Lohmeyer has been selectedto receive a $3,000 “Stirring the Fire” Fellowshito pursue a project to house and educate girlsat Living Fountain Academy in Kenya. The

ellowship is a gi t o photographer Phil Borge

whose documentary photography was ondisplay at the IPJ in Fall 2010. Lohmeyer tutorsre ugees at the International Rescue Committeeand has volunteered in Kenya previously. “By sharing my research and project,” Lohmeyer says

“I can raise awareness about the importance o girls’ education within my own community.”

We have to support [the youth] to make sure that the process o trans ormation is progressive rather than regressive. – Necla Tschirgi

This article is adapted rom Ryan Blystone’s piece inInside USD on February 4.

Dr. Tschirgi and Dr. Spiegel answer questions rom the audiencephoto courtesy o Ryan Blystone)

Abay, 28 years old, Awash Fontale, Ethiop(photo © Phil Borges)

PJ Welcomes New Staff

Kendra Galante, USD alum (‘07), joined the IPJ as event coordinator inFebruary. A ter graduating with a B.A. in international relations and aminor in peace studies, Galante interned at the U.S. Association or theUnited Nations High Commissioner on Re ugees, in Washington, D.C. Shethen worked with the Carnegie Endowment or International Peace or more than three years, coordinating events and serving most recently ascommunications coordinator.


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WorldLinkMindanaoan Speaker Re ects On Her Time In San Diego

hanks to a generous donation rom the Gary and Mary West oundation, the IPJ was able to sponsor a youth delegate romhe Philippines or the Youth Town Meeting. Meriam “Yam” Palma

the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, which works in the con ict-

ected communities on the southern Philippine island, spoken the opening plenary and a ter the premiere o the WorldLinkideo “Mindanao’s Youth Working or Peace.” While in San Diego,alma was also able to visit high schools and interact with the IRC eacemakers, a student group o the International Rescue Committee.he ollowing is a re ection she wrote at the end o her visit.

It was an opportunity or me to see how yo rom a irst-world country react to the thinhappening in Mindanao. … [T]heir aces wthat they are with me in the struggle to ind peace or Mindanao.

alma at the WorldLink Youth Town Meeting with ellow panelist Joseph Ruanto-Ramirez o UCSD

Palma (right) meeting with a Filipino student at Del Dios

0 | SPRING 2011

Icannot orget the overwhelming eeling I had a ter watching the video on Mindanao or the frst time. It is very inspiring or me to

ee material that captures the real issues and situation in Mindanao. Ioved interacting with young people who show interest in the con ict.was surprised with the question, “How can we help?”

Having the chance to visit some schools was also a great experience. Itwas an opportunity or me to see how young people rom a frst-world

ountry react to the things that are happening in Mindanao. I canee their aces as they look at the pictures o the bakwits [internally isplaced people], and their aces would tell me that they are with men the struggle to fnd a long-lasting peace or Mindanao.

Getting to see how the public school system works well or the youngeople in San Diego made me realize that i only taxes being paid

y Filipinos go to our public schools in Mindanao, then the childrenwould also enjoy going to school. They need not wait or the harvesto come to have something or school. They need not rely on suppliesnd eeding programs rom the international community. They needot worry that classmates would tease them because they don’t havenything or lunch. They need not get insecure because they are much lder than their classmates.

I eel so happy to have had a chance to get to know a lot o Filipinos who were not really aware o the situation, but are now willing to learnand contribute something or the peoples in Mindanao. I can eel their sympathy as they try to connect to their roots, as young Filipinos who

have the privilege o studying in one o the best universities in theUnited States. It com orts me when I hear them say “salamat po,” i the accent makes me smile.

But what made me happier was the opportunity to talk to youngpeople who in one way or another have experienced the samestruggle that the peoples o Mindanao are experiencing. I saw the

young Muslim girls in ront o me who were teary-eyed. What wassupposed to be an hour-long presentation became longer because o the exchanges with the IRC workers and some o the students whocan relate with the situation.

In the coming days, I will be back to my hometown, working with young Mindanaoans as we prepare or our inclusion in the Mindanao2020 plan.* I will bring with me the stories o the people that I met.

I am looking orward to a stronger partnership with you and seeing you again in Mindanao.

*Mindanao 2020 is a peace and development agenda or Mindanao.



Joan B. Kroc Schoolof Peace Studies

W ith a pro essional background in law and education,Elika Dadsetan came to the Joan B. Kroc School

o Peace Studies (KSPS) to pursue her li elong passion

o helping those in less ortunate situations. Last all,Dadsetan joined the 2010-11 cohort o master’s studentsin peace and justice studies, specializing in con ictresolution and human rights advocacy with a ocus onstrengthening education systems in post-con ict societies.

In search o ways to get more involved in the practice o peace, Dadsetan discovered the IPJ intern program – and

umped at the chance to work with the organization that had inspired her to ollow her assion and apply to the M.A. program.

s an IPJ intern, Dadsetan spent much o the all semester writing weekly updates aboutiberia, as well as country updates or the Women PeaceMakers Program. “It has been alessing to be around such inspirational people as the Women PeaceMakers,” Dadsetan says.

This semester, in preparation or her summer internship and capstone project, Dadsetanontinues to do research and write about issues in West A rica as she supports Assistantro essor Dustin Sharp in the IPJ’s West A rican Human Rights Training Initiative (see page). Dadsetan will complete her required 10-week internship with De ense or Childrennternational (DCI) in Freetown, Sierra Leone. DCI provides legal counsel to children inon ict and child victims o sexual and gender-based violence. While there, Dadsetan willelp coordinate a traditional restorative justice project and implement orgiveness projectsnd victim-o ender mediation models.

love being able to dream big dreams and have a group o people around me who o er upport in meeting them,” Dadsetan says o her experience with both KSPS and the IPJ.

Jan. 21, 2011

KUSI News: Deputy Director Dee Aker and

WorldLink participants on the 14th Annual Youth Town Meeting, “Crimes Without Borders:Threats to Human Security.”

Jan. 22, 2011

San Diego Union-Tribune : “Teens, Experts TaBorder Crimes,” on WorldLink’s 2011 Youth Town Meeting.

Feb. 21, 2011

KPBS Radio, “These Days”: Distinguished Lecturer Stephen Rapp , U.S. ambassador-at-lar

or war crimes issues, on pursuing justice or victims o war crimes and genocide, and on hisongoing work in A rica and the Middle East.

March 2011

Nepal Television Plus: Deputy Director Dee Aand Women PeaceMakers Mary Ann Arnado,Milet Mendoza and Shreen Saroor eatured incelebration o International Women’s Day.

March 8, 2011

KPBS Radio, “These Days”: Filmmaker Abigail Disney , keynote speaker or the IPJ’sInternational Women’s Day Break ast, on therole o women in international con icts and hernew PBS series “Women, War & Peace.”

March 15, 2011

The Daily Transcript : “USD Gets InternationaEducation Award,” on USD’s receipt o theSenator Paul Simon Spotlight Award or the

Women PeaceMakers Program at the IPJ.

Ipj Media Appearances

SPRING 2011

Studying And Working For Peace: Elika Dadsetan

A Guatemalan Classroom

PJ Program O cer Elena McCollim co-led a 10-day Januaryntersession course through USD entitled “Nonpro ts and Civilociety in Guatemala.” Quotations below are rom USD students

ter their return. For more in ormation on the IPJ’s justice project inGuatemala, see page 4.

t is always di fcult to travel to a less advantagedountry and not question the very ease and privilege

one’s own li e.”

– Crystal Dujowich,Ph.D. student in leadership studies

The people truly hope and str ive or a civil society nd actively seek out peace. These people are some

the strongest individuals I have met in my li e.”

Justine Darling, master’s student in peaceand justice studies, and human rights lawyer Mario Domingo at the Archbishop’s O ce or Human Rights in Guatemala

While two weeks is never enough time to ully understand another country and its people, thentersession class in Guatemala provided me with a great introduction. I can’t wait to go back.”

– Stacey Cooper, M.A. student in peace and justice studies

– Amanda Katona, M.A. student in leadership studies



INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL

R. SCOTT APPLEBY

John M. Regan Jr. Director, Joan B. KrocInstitute or International Peace Studies,University o Notre Dame

LLOYD AXWORTHY President and Vice-Chancellor,The University o Winnipeg

JIMMY CARTER Founder/Trustee, The Carter Center;39th President o the United States

RICHARD J. GOLDSTONEFormer Justice, Constitutional Court,South A rica; Former Chie Prosecutor,International Tribunals or the ormer

Yugoslavia and Rwanda THEODORE HESBURGH, C.S.C .President Emeritus, University o Notre Dam

JANE HOLL LUTEDeputy Secretary, U.S. Department o Homeland Security

MARY E. LYONSPresident, University o San Diego

QUEEN NOOR OF JORDANChair, King Hussein Foundation Internation

GENERAL ANTHONY ZINNIU.S. Marine Corps (retired); Distinguished

d d

Donor Gifts Support IPJ Work

he IPJ is grate ul to the generous community o donors that supports the institute in many

orms. A special thank you to:

• Craig Weatherwax and Oceanside Photo & Telescope for donating a new camera to the IPJ, which was used in recent IPJ feld work in Nepal and Kenya (see photos above).

• GTM Discount General Stores and Mr. Gilbert How for the video camera donated to WorldLink. The camera was used in March to flm interviews with students in Kenya(see page 5) or an upcoming documentary.

• Longtime IPJ supporters June and Hirsch Gottschalk, who were inadvertently omitted rom the December donor listing.

o make a gi t to the IPJ, please go to http://peace.sandiego.edu/giving

Joan B. Kroc Institute or Peace & Justice Joan B. Kroc School o Peace StudiesUniversity o San Diego5998 Alcalá Park San Diego, CA 92110-2492

PHONE: (619) 260-7509FAX:(619) 260-7570http://peace.sandiego.edu

Compass Newsletter - Spring 2011

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