There are a lot of conflict resolution programs out there—what is ICAR all about, what makes it unique?
All conflict resolution programs have some sort of a focus, or “flavor,” usually defined by the larger academic department in which they reside. American University’s program is within the international studies department, so unsurprisingly has an international relations bias. George Washington’s program is within the Elliot School of International Affairs, and carries that bias. ICAR is one of the very few that stands alone and isn’t housed within another department, so is more “pure” conflict resolution in some senses. ICAR’s focus is process, at the base of it. How do conflict dynamics work within social systems, how do various kinds of intervention work in different cases, what’s necessary for a sustainable process–how does analysis and intervention fit into process as part of a process so that it isn’t wasted or damaging–the mechanics of analysis and research, the ethics of intervention, the process-cycle of action and reflection, practice and theory. ICAR is the first degree-gr
