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Summer program teaches conflict management

For students interested in gaining experience in international affairs, law and business, the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution is offering a four-week seminar this summer.

The program will be held at the Institute of Higher European Studies in The Hague, Netherlands, and will include experts in the fields of international relations, and environmental and trade policies.

A host of topics will be introduced, including the roots of conflict, peacemaking and peacekeeping, the legal aspects of conflict resolution, the use of international force and law, issues on human and civil rights and the importance of the international business environment.

Marcel Smith, an employee of IIMCR, said the program will help students learn to work with different types of people in various situations.

"It will prepare them better for conflict situations in the world and future," Smith said.

In addition to the seminars, students will also tour some of the international institutions in both The Hague and throughout Europe. These spots include the International Court of Justice, the International Monetary Fund, the headquarters of the European Union and NATO.

Cody Shearer, president of IIMCR, said the program will prepare the leaders of tomorrow through close interaction between lecturers and students.

"Instead of just lecturing, speakers must spend most of the day with the students," Shearer said. "We're trying to have a conversation between generations."

Shearer said this program differs from other programs because it will bring together a diverse group of world leaders with like-minded students.

"Anyone who is someone in the (U.S.) government is a friend of mine," Shearer said. "We will have current negotiating teams from Israel and Syria. Other leaders, like some of the negotiators from Bosnia, will also be there.

"We are different because of the network and contacts that we have," he said. "We just know an awful lot of people."

In addition to a diverse group of lecturers, IIMCR also hopes to find an international group of students in its seminar.

"The program will take no more than 100 students, with about 50-60 percent from the U.S," Shearer said. "We are looking for students that are articulate, self-confident, well-read and extraordinarily inquisitive."

Shearer also emphasized the long-term benefits of the program for the student participants.

"Students will be involved in a family network," he said. "We expect this program to open doors."

Smith said the university in The Hague is an ideal place for the program, in that the city is very diverse and has worldwide appeal.

"The university (in The Hague) was available and also there are U.N. agencies nearby," Smith said. "It is a very international city."

The cost of the seminar is $3,500, which includes tuition, partial room and board, and costs of books and field trips. It is open to students who have completed their first year of college and have maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Applications must be submitted by April 15, and a list of attendees will be announced by May 15. Interested students should call the institute at (202)828-0721.