SUMMER OPPORTUNITY IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS

WHO: The Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution(IIMCR), in cooperation with Tec de Monterrey and The Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University

WHAT: The 2003 Latin American Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

WHERE: Monterrey, Mexico

WHEN: June 14-July 12, 2003
(Application Deadlines: Early Decision-Jan. 10;
Regular Decision-February 28)

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Vast disparities and clearly-defined lines between the wealthy and the poor; authoritarian governments with little respect for human rights; labor, environmental, and economic exploitation and crises; indigenous peoples robbed of their livelihoods and their capacities for self-determination; increasingly scarce natural resources; small arms proliferation and other remnants of Cold War politics;
paramilitaries and guerrillas pitted against each other with civilians caught in the cross-fire; the War on Drugs; destructive and dehumanizing images of the
"other"-all feed into the quagmire that is violent conflict in
Latin America. But there are alternatives. Ways exist to disentangle and analyze the elements of conflict in order to steer it towards a constructive course; there is an ever-growing body of knowledge and skill focused on transforming conflict and preventing it from becoming violent in the first place.

The nature of conflict in Latin America-be it political, commercial, or local-has changed over the past decade. The region is strengthening its democratic institutions but also feeling the repercussions of economic globalization. Even while coming to terms with the Cold War-sponsored
horrors of its recent past, Latin America is facing present crises like the civil war in Colombia (neatly fit into the new War on Terrorism paradigm) and a collapsed economy in Argentina. The challenges of the current state of Latin American affairs require us-now more than ever-to respond more conscientiously and effectively with appropriate conflict resolution practices.

IIMCR's Latin American Student Symposium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution is specifically designed to narrow the divide between the theory and practice of conflict resolution-to prepare young people to understand and constructively address conflict in Latin America. During the four-week-long program, participants from around the world will sharpen their understanding of conflict resolution through lectures, negotiation and mediation trainings and detailed multilateral simulations. They will learn from and network with IIMCR's renowned summer faculty of conflict resolution practitioners, diplomats, academics and activists. The Symposium is academically accredited by our local university partner, Tecde Monterrey, and open to graduate students, highly-qualified undergraduate students, and young professionals.

And, the IIMCR Symposium experience does not end after four weeks. Participants can always turn to IIMCR and its first-rate instructors for support in the form of career and project guidance, and for resources in the field. They also will have continued access to their greatest collective asset-each other-through the vast IIMCR Alumni Network of students and young professionals making a difference in the field of conflict resolution.

For more information, or to apply, visit our website at www.iimcr.org.

If you have questions, or would like to receive materials
(brochures, posters, CD-roms) for distribution, please e-mail Latin_American_Symposium@iimcr.org, or contact IIMCR at 202-347-2042.