CRDC works with indigenous global populations in areas hit by religion-based conflicts. We help rebuild their economies through entrepreneurship, and seek ways to develop support for their communities through the participation of peacebuilders, citizen diplomats, students, business people and policymakers.
The center tackles longstanding disputes through a series of small steps that we hope can become a new path to peace. Our methods include:
- Using education to develop a civil society.
- Peer mediation.
- Using religious, spiritual, and cultural touchstones to build consensus.
- Developing projects that incorporate the cultures of the people involved.
- Integrating the communities' work with the efforts of policymakers and diplomats.
While building relationships across these divides, we also seek to involve decision makers throughout the economic spectrum, using social networks, media, film, and global communication to build peace. Our work ranges from grassroots efforts up through global policymakers, using education, social change, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. Examples of some of the center's efforts include work involving:
- Syria Project
- Reimagining America Project
- Spiritual Peacebuilding
- American Civil Society
- Afghanistan Program
- The Iranian School for Conflict Resolution and Peace
Faculty members involved with the center include:
Dr. Marc Gopin, Chair and Director of CRDC and James H. Laue Chair in World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution