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Jennings Randolph Senior Fellow Project Reports Series
2003-2004 Project Report Archive
The Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program annually convenes a series of roundtable discussions in which fellows share findings from their research projects with other interested scholars, policymakers, and members of the press in the greater Washington D.C. area. To expand the reach of these discussions and add a "virtual seat" at the table for those unable to attend in person, the Institute has compiled a collection of written summaries and archived audio recordings of several presentations made during the 2003-2004 fellowship year.
For further information about the Project Report Series, please contact the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program by e-mail at fellows@usip.org.
"State-Mosque Relations in Iraq, 1968-2004"
Presented by: Amatzia Baram
What can the history of relations between Iraqi Shia and Sunni Muslims reveal about the prospects for future peaceful power-sharing in a new democratic Iraq? On March 30, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Amatzia Baram to explore this and other questions on state-mosque relations in Iraq. A noted expert on Iraqi politics, Baram's presentation explored the tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Iraq and traced their origins in the history of Saddam Hussein's alternating policies of accommodation, co-optation, and repression toward these communities. From this historical overview of Ba'ath Party policies, he drew lessons for the management of Shia-Sunni relations by coalition forces and the new Iraqi regime scheduled to take office in July. Baram also evaluated how the provisional constitution has addressed state-mosque relations, and the ongoing dilemmas this issue will pose for the final constitution.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Congressional Testimony]
Original Presentation Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2004
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"Electoral Observation: A Critical Analysis"
Presented by: Horacio Boneo
As the international community continues to examine the work needed to prepare Iraq for elections in 2005, what lessons can be garnered from elections monitored and facilitated by the UN and other international organizations in various nations around the globe over the past two decades? To help explore these and other issues on May 27, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Horacio Boneo on "Electoral Observation: A Critical Analysis." Drawing on his extensive experience serving as an electoral observer in more than sixty countries, Boneo provided a critical view of the changing field of electoral monitoring missions. He discussed the multiple objectives and methodologies of electoral observation, problems related to evaluating electoral processes, and the comparative advantages of national electoral monitoring versus the use of international observers.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, May 27, 2004
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"Frozen and Forgotten Conflicts in Post-Soviet States"
Presented by: Ceslav Ciobanu
Ceslav Ciobanu examined how the enlargement of NATO and expansion of the EU to include states of the former Soviet Union has created new opportunities to manage these conflicts and to build security and stability among the states of the Black Sea, South Caucasus, and Caspian Sea regions. Ciobanu was Moldova's ambassador to the United States, Mexico, and Canada from 1999 through March 2002. He also served as Moldova's first deputy minister of foreign affairs, as minister of privatization and state property administration, and as deputy director of the president's office and economic adviser to the president. Prior to Moldova's independence, Ciobanu was a professor of economics at the Academy of Oil and Gas in Moscow, and an adviser on Central and Eastern European affairs to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1987–91).
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 22, 2004
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"Crisis of Education in the Muslim World"
Presented by: Mamoun Fandy
On June 10, 2004, Institute senior fellow Mamoun Fandy presented a report on, "The Crisis of Education in the Muslim World." Fandy argued that muslim intellectuals have struggled for decades to institute a pedagogical "software" that would encourage students to engage with the West, and to take up the challenge of reforming their national cultures from within to make them compatible with modern, global society. For reasons of political expediency however, the governments of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other Muslim states have allowed and even encouraged another version of educational "software," one developed by people like Said Qutub and organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood. This jihadist "software" nurtures student resentment and hostility toward the non-Muslim world, as well as toward progressives and intellectuals within Muslim societies. Those secular states now face a crisis within their educational systems as the Islamist ideology has spread throughout their schools and beyond their borders.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, June 10, 2004
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"The Problem of Kashmir and the Prospects for its Resolution"
Presented by: Wajahat Habibullah
What impact has the ongoing conflict in Kashmir had upon the people of the region? Are there steps that can be taken to help resolve this longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan? On April 27, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Wajahat Habibullah on "The Kashmir Problem and Its Resolution." Drawing from his many years of service with the government of India in Kashmir, he described the background to the problem and identified some of the factors that continue to make resolution difficult. In particular, he discussed the economic impact of the war on life for Kashmiris and the consequences this has for fueling further conflict. Wajahat Habibullah is on leave from his assignment as secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Consumer Affairs. His deep involvement in Kashmir affairs has included a term as vice chair and chief executive of the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, terms as divisional commissioner heading the administration of the eight districts of Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, and 15 years of service in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2004
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"Formative Forces in the Development of the Modern Iraqi State"
Presented by: Faleh A. Jabar
With the recent upsurge in activities by Iraqi insurgents, the question of how Iraq will weather the transfer of sovereignty on June 30 is increasingly on the minds of many around the globe. What steps can the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) take between now and June to help minimize instability in Iraq? How should the CPA deal with fringe forces, such as those lead by young Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in light of continuing violence? On April 15, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Faleh Jabar on "Formative Forces in the Development of the Modern Iraqi State." A noted expert on Iraqi politics and civil society, Jabar discussed the particularistic nature of Iraq's social and political environment, including the historic forces that make up the modern Iraqi state, and discussed the prospects for democratization in Iraq.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, April 15, 2004
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"Fateful Choices: Violence and Nonviolence in the Independence Struggles of Small Nations"
Presented by: Yo'Av Karny
On June 24, 2004, the Institute hosted a project report by senior fellow, Yo'av Karny on, "Fateful Choices: Violence and Nonviolence in the Independence Struggles of Small Nations." Karny discussed his research on three cases—the Chechens, the Palestinians, and the East Timorese—and suggested that the latter may provide a useful lesson: a timely switch from a prolonged armed struggle to nonviolent resistance might be the most effective way for an independence movement to advance its goals. Yo'av Karny is an independent journalist and author, born in Israel, who has covered civil wars and ethnic conflicts around the world. He is the author of Highlanders: A Journey to the Caucasus in Quest of Memory (2000), based on his extensive fieldwork and reportage in Chechnya, Daghestan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the 1990's.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Wednesday, Thursday, June 24, 2004
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"The Role of Business in Peacemaking: A Case Study of the Oil Industry"
Presented by: Jill Shankleman
As the interim Iraqi government begins building the foundation for a new democratic future, hopes are high in the international community that Iraqi oil revenues will be key in helping to construct the building blocks needed to reconstruct Iraq and bridge the divides between its diverse ethnic population. Is there a role the private sector can play in helping the international community address potentially explosive ethnic conflicts around the globe and help strengthen international security? How has the oil industry played a role in conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives in places like the Sudan or Angola? On July 8, 2004, the Institute hosted a project report by senior fellow Jill Shankleman on, "The Role of Business in Peace Making: A Case Study of the Oil Industry." Shankleman's presentation addressed the evolution of corporate social responsibility standards, their application to the oil industry, and their implications for conflict management and resolution. Her research over the past year at the Institute has focused largely on Sudan, Azerbaijan, and Angola.
[Report Summary] [Note: Archived Audio is not available for this report.]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, July 8, 2004
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"Forgive and Forget: Rethinking Memory in Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission"
Presented by: Rosalind Shaw
As the international community reflects on the tragedy in Rwanda ten years ago, the question of how societies should attempt to heal the wounds from past virulent conflicts has recently received renewed interest by members of the press, policy, and NGO community around the globe. How effective are truth and reconciliation commissions? Are there lessons learned from the experiences of truth and reconciliation commissions in Sierra Leone and elsewhere that can be used by the international community to deal with the aftermath of other conflicts in different parts of the world? On April 29, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Rosalind Shaw on "Rethinking Memory in Sierra Leone's Truth and Reconciliation Commission." An associate professor of Anthropology at Tufts University, Shaw has conducted ethnographic field research in Sierra Leone since 1977, and has published numerous articles on ritual and social memories of violence in Temne-speaking communities.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, April 29, 2004
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"Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, The New Challenges"
Presented by: Gabriel Weimann
In a recent Institute Special Report, senior fellow Gabriel Weimann noted that while politicians and the media have hotly debated the dangers that cyberterrorism poses to the Internet, surprisingly little is known about the threat posed by terrorists' use of the Internet. How are terrorist organizations using the Internet? What tools are available to policymakers in the United States and beyond to combat terrorists in this "virtual front" in the war on international terrorism? On May 13, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by Gabriel Weimann on "Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, The New Challenges." Drawing from his research over the past seven years, Weimann discussed the advantages of the Internet for such organizations, the varieties of rhetoric employed in the web sites, and the dilemmas of and options available for countering terrorist use of the Internet.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio] [Related Report]
Original Presentation Date: Thursday, May 13, 2004
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"Ethnocratic States and Spaces"
Presented by: Oren Yiftachel
How can land and regional planning tools be used to help settle virulent ethnic conflicts? What lessons can be taken from places such as Sri Lanka, Estonia, and Israel as to what role land use and settlement policies can play in overall inter-ethnic relations and political stability in multiethnic societies in zones of conflict? On January 23, 2004, the Institute hosted a presentation by senior fellow Oren Yiftachel on "Ethnocratic States and Spaces." A professor of geography at Ben Gurion University in Beer-Sheeva, Yiftachel explored the dynamics between political geography, spatial engineering and containment, and ethnic conflict through a comparative analysis of land and settlement policies in three representative cases: Sri Lanka, Israel, and Estonia. His presentation concluded with policy implications and suggestions for future agendas for research and peacemaking.
[Report Summary] [Archived Audio]
Original Presentation Date: Friday, January 23, 2004
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For More Information
Media inquiries should be directed to the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs (202.429.3824).
Other inquiries about the Institute's fellowship program or future Senior Fellow Project Reports should be directed to Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program.
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