The Peace Frequency

In this show we speak with Dr. Erica Chenoweth – Associate Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and an Associate Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO). Together with Maria J. Stephan, she won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, which is presented annually in recognition of outstanding proposals for creating a more just and peaceful world order. Their book, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, also won the 2012 Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. In December 2013, Foreign Policy named Chenoweth one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers of the year “for proving Gandhi right,” noting her work on providing evidence for the efficacy of nonviolent political movements.

In this episode we speak with Hamidullah Natiq – Senior Training Officer working for the United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan. In our conversation Natiq takes us through his journey towards becoming a self-identified peacebuilding trainer. He also sheds light on how he approaches setting up and facilitating a learning experience. He introduces the term, “discovery education,” and talks about some of the ways this model of teaching and training aids the peacebuilding process.

In this conversation we speak with Dr. Eileen F. Babbitt – Professor of Practice of International Conflict Management, Director of the Institute for Human Security, and Co-director of the Program on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at The Fletcher School.

In this episode, we speak with Ambassador Princeton Lyman, a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Institute of Peace and U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan from March 2011-2013. Here, Ambassador Lyman recounts his experience in African affairs, including his perspective on the end of apartheid in South Africa and the prospects for peace in the Sudans.

In this episode, we speak with Virginia (Ginny) M. Bouvier, Senior Advisor for Latin America programs at the United States Institute of Peace. She describes the ongoing peace process in Colombia, which she blogs about at Colombia Calls (vbouvier.wordpress.com), as well as how practitioners can address spoilers in negotiation or mediation processes.

In this episode, we speak with Joyce Neu, founder and senior associate at Facilitating Peace. She shares her experience in mediation and answers such questions as: Can force ever be used effectively prior to a mediation or peace process? What role do women play in mediation processes? What role does the UN play in mediating violent conflict?

In this episode we discuss mediating violent conflicts with Dr. Chester A. Crocker. Dr. Crocker is James R. Schlesinger professor of strategic studies at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service and serves on the board of its Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. Dr. Crocker’s teaching and research focus on international security and conflict management. From 1981 to 1989, Dr. Crocker served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He developed the strategy and led the diplomacy that produced the treaties signed by Angola, Cuba, and South Africa in New York in December 1988. These agreements resulted in Namibia’s independence (March 1990) and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Namibia and Angola. President Ronald Reagan granted him the President’s Citizens Medal, the country’s second highest civilian award. Dr. Crocker has also served as the Chairman of the USIP Board of Directors from 1992 – 2004.

In this episode we talk with Julia Roig, President of Partners for Democratic Change. She discusses the work of Partners and how they conduct evaluations of their 20 affiliate offices around the world. How does Partners ensure quality of standards across offices? Does working across various geographical areas and context affect monitoring and evaluation? How has social media affected the work among Partner offices?

In this episode we speak with Doug Smith – Program Officer at the Rule of Law Center at the United States Institute of Peace. We talk about his approaches to monitoring and evaluation in peacebuilding programs.

How do we know the work we do actually benefits the communities we work in? In this episode, we talk with Bidjan Nashat with Save the Children Germany about the importance of monitoring and evaluation in peacebuilding programs, particularly at the onset of design and with the input of the local community.