Projects
The work of CIDCM has been dedicated to pursuing new and better understanding about the dynamics of conflict and conflict resolution, with a special emphasis on the role of economic development and information technology in conflict-prone societies.
Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development
The Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development works to further the dialogue for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world. The Chair also seeks to bridge the gap that often occurs between the academic and policy worlds, bringing the policy community of nearby Washington, D.C. in closer touch with the latest research findings through an active and rigorous research agenda.
Bahá’í Chair for World Peace
The mission of the Baha'i Chair for World Peace is to develop alternatives to the violent resolution of conflict management, global education, international development, spiritual awareness, and world trade; to share the experience of the Baha'i world community in building a global society; and to offer the community as a model for study.
Kahlil Gibran Research and Studies
Scholars working under the auspices of the Gibran Project study matters of cultural pluralism; human rights; and the role of the arts, poetry and literature in promoting international communication and cooperation. These studies emphasize the enduring human values which Gibran advocated in his writing and which are essential to the creation of a world vision based on the principle of "unity in diversity".
Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding
The Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding Projects work to facilitate the prevention or transformation of complex, violent conflicts, strengthen civil society and promote transitions to appropriate and sustainable forms of democracy, using the techniques of multi-track or citizens' diplomacy. They also help to build capacity for conflict prevention and transformation through providing training programs both locally and overseas, and through participating in crisis early warning and early response programs designed to support preventive diplomacy.
ICONS Project
The ICONS Project at the University of Maryland is an experiential learning program that uses Web-based simulations to teach students and train professionals about negotiating, decision-making, and communicating.
Working with colleagues or with peers from around the world, participants in ICONS simulations represent decision makers and negotiate solutions to pressing problems. Current simulations focus on military security, economic development, human rights, and the environment, among other issues. ICONS staff can also create simulations for a specific audience or event.
International Crisis Behavior Project
The aim of the ICB Project is to shed light on a pervasive phenomenon of world politics: crisis. There are four specific objectives: the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge about interstate crises and protracted conflicts; the generation and testing of hypotheses about the effects of crisis-induced stress on coping and choice by decision makers; the discovery of patterns in key crisis dimensions -- onset, actor behavior and crisis management, superpower activity, involvement by international organizations, and outcome; and application of the lessons of history to the advancement of international peace and world order.
Minorities at Risk Project
The Minorities at Risk (MAR) project is an independent, university-based research project that monitors and analyzes the status and conflicts of politically-active communal groups in all countries in the world with a current population of at least 500,000. The project is designed to provide information in a standardized (data) format that will aid comparative research and contribute to the understanding and peaceful accommodation of conflicts involving communal groups. Selected project materials on over 275 groups are available through this site for the information of researchers, students, public officials, journalists, activists, and other interested individuals, including access to the regularly updated MAR database and codebook.
Leadership in the Digital Age
The "Leadership in the Digital Age" project is designed to enhance understanding and performance of new networked styles of forward-looking leadership in the evolution towards more knowledge-intensive communities and societies around the world. It is one of the first initiatives to examine systematically and in global perspective the new patterns of networked leadership now shaping the transition from industrial to knowledge societies. Directed by Prof. Ernest J. Wilson III, Senior Scholar, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, and supported by the Markle Foundation, the project draws on hundreds of interviews and other material from over a dozen nations to produce new research and writing on this under-examined but critical subject.
The project concentrates on an innovative style of cooperative information and communication technology (ICT) leadership that is emerging across the private, public, research and civil society sectors, which we call a ‘Quad’. We believe that enhanced ICT leadership capacities are directly relevant to any society, whether in the developing world or the developed. An important element of the project is the International Colloquium to be held July 14-15, 2003, in College Park, Maryland, where these and other issues will be discussed.
Minor in International Development and Conflict Management
The Department of Government and Politics in collaboration with its Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) offers a Minor in International Development and Conflict Management, a 16-credit, undergraduate program of instruction for students aspiring to a profession in the fields of conflict resolution, international development, and humanitarian relief.
Peace and Conflict 2012
Peace and Conflict is CIDCM's biennial publication that provides key analyses about trends in armed conflict, democratization, and instability worldwide. It is designed as a tool for policymakers and scholars seeking the facts behind the headlines about the nature and extent of conflict around the world. Beginning with the 2008 edition, CIDCM has also developed a companion Web site for Peace and Conflict that features supplemental material, including a suite of interactive graphing tools and extensive chapter appendices.