Ukraine / en Economic Recovery in Ukraine during and after war - Dean Özerdem on Pritzker's appointment in the Kyiv Independent /news/2023-09/economic-recovery-ukraine-during-and-after-war-dean-ozerdem-pritzkers-appointment-kyiv <span>Economic Recovery in Ukraine during and after war - Dean Özerdem on Pritzker's appointment in the Kyiv Independent</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/256" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Paul Snodgrass</span></span> <span>Mon, 09/18/2023 - 11:43</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aozerdem" hreflang="und">Alpaslan Özerdem</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p>In an article by the Kyiv Independent, Dean Alpaslan Özerdem reacts to the selection of Penny Pritzker to lead the U.S. efforts in the economic recovery of Ukraine. The article by Elsa Court, published on September 18, 2023, is entitled, <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/who-is-penny-pritzker-new-us-special-representative-for-ukraines-economic-recovery/">Who is Penny Pritzker, new US special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery?</a></p> <p>Excerpt from the article:</p> <p>Starting the job in the middle of the war means that Pritzker is taking on a challenge that "few would envy," said Dr. Alpaslan Özerdem, dean at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and expert on post-conflict reconstruction.</p> <p>"She will need to connect many dots to build sustainable momentum in the economic recovery of Ukraine both before and after the war's end," Özerdem told the Kyiv Independent.</p> <p>Her experience in philanthropy will come in useful, Özerdem believes, not least because "war-affected communities appreciate the sensitive approach of empathy, passion, and solidarity" that experienced philanthropists can bring.</p> <p>Read the full article with more comments from Dean Özerdem in the <a href="https://kyivindependent.com/who-is-penny-pritzker-new-us-special-representative-for-ukraines-economic-recovery/">Kyiv Independent</a>.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/10741" hreflang="en">In the Media</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3656" hreflang="en">Economic Development</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/16211" hreflang="en">Russia-Ukraine war</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:43:30 +0000 Paul Snodgrass 108486 at Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova Joins Panelists to Discuss Future of Ukraine /news/2023-03/ukrainian-ambassador-markarova-joins-panelists-discuss-future-ukraine <span>Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova Joins Panelists to Discuss Future of Ukraine</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/586" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Andrew J Schappert</span></span> <span>Thu, 03/23/2023 - 15:45</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="dabb10d0-b6e3-46b5-9ea9-6483adba8b6c"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://schar.gmu.edu/why-study-here/admissions/request-more-information"> <h4 class="cta__title">Request program information <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-info-circle" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; --fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="44c2ead1-b320-4068-b266-674067942b82"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://schar.gmu.edu/discover-schar-school-0"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about the Schar School <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-info-circle" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; --fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-03/Ukrainian-ambassador-Oksana-Markarova-web.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="A woman surrounded by yellow and blue flags speaks into a microphone behind a podium with a sign saying Stand With Ukraine." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova will appear at Mason on March 28.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>Oksana Markarova, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the U.S., is the special guest for an afternoon book presentation and panel discussion about the future of war-torn Ukraine at AV’s Mason Square.</span></span></p> <p><span><span><em>Rebuilding Ukraine: Principles and Policies</em> takes place Tuesday, March 28, at 1:30 p.m., at Mason’s Van Metre Hall, Room 113, in Arlington, Virginia. The event is free and open to the public but <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rebuilding-ukraine-principles-and-policies-tickets-577626395097" target="_blank">registration is required at this link</a>.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Panelists for the 90-minute event, which is sponsored by the <a href="https://cmepr.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research</a> at the <a href="http://schar.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">Schar School of Policy and Government</a>, include the authors and editors of the book by the same name:</span></span></p> <ul><li><span><span>Yuriy Gorodnichenko, professor of economics, University of California, Berkeley</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Ilona Sologoub, editor of VoxUkraine</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Vladyslav Rashkovan, alternative executive director of the International Monetary Fund</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Tatyana Deryugina, associate professor of finance, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign</span></span></li> </ul><p><span><span>The discussion is being moderated by Solomiya Shpak, a Schar School postdoctoral fellow. <a href="/news/2022-04/george-mason-students-ukraine-describe-horrors-war-afar">She was at her home in Kyiv</a> when Russia began its invasion in the early morning hours of February 24, 2022, and traveled with her family, while pregnant, for 22 hours to escape through Romania.</span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“This event is a great opportunity for the audience to learn about the most pressing reconstruction challenges facing Ukraine and how the Western countries and international organization can support the reconstruction efforts in Ukraine,” Shpak said. “Forums like these are important as they bring together scholars and policymakers to facilitate the discussion of the groundwork necessary for future recovery.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“Russian destruction of Ukraine has been enormous,” said panelist Sologoub. “Not only in productive assets and land but millions of human lives have been destroyed.”<br />  <br /> Ukraine, she said, will need all the support it can get for its reconstruction, including the support of scientists and researchers, in order to implement the “build back better” principle. <br />  <br /> “The reconstruction implies not only physical reconstruction but also a complete reload of institutions such as the judicial system and public service. One of the principles of reconstruction is relying mostly on the market mechanisms rather than government decisions. This requires smart policy solutions that would create correct incentives for people and firms and speed up the recovery. <br />  <br /> “With this event,” she said, “we would like to encourage Mason students and faculty to think of helping Ukraine, and one way to do this would be developing such policy solutions.”</span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17716" hreflang="en">Center for Micro-Economic Policy Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15406" hreflang="en">Mason Square</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17561" hreflang="en">Schar School News March 2023</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 23 Mar 2023 19:45:29 +0000 Andrew J Schappert 104676 at Carter School hosts activist whose organization documents war crimes in Ukraine /news/2023-03/carter-school-hosts-activist-whose-organization-documents-war-crimes-ukraine <span>Carter School hosts activist whose organization documents war crimes in Ukraine</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/276" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Mariam Aburdeineh</span></span> <span>Mon, 03/13/2023 - 11:31</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ckoroste" hreflang="und">Karina Korostelina</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aozerdem" hreflang="und">Alpaslan Özerdem</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/drothbar" hreflang="und">Daniel Rothbart</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">On February 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AV’s <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/">Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a> hosted “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBbZ9qM4Yb-I_MCQ1Y3X0GWDqbIfhc6iz">One Year After: Ukraine War Analysis and Prospects</a>,” an all-day virtual event to discuss the effects of the war and potential post-war contexts. </span></p> <p><span><span>The event featured Romantsova Oleksandra, executive director of the <a href="https://ccl.org.ua/en/">Center for Civil Liberties</a>, the first Ukrainian organization to win a <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2022/center-for-civil-liberties/203732-interview-december-2022/">Nobel Peace Prize</a>. The recognition, which the human rights organization received in 2022, was due in part to their work documenting war crimes against civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine.</span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2023-03/One%20Year%20After%20Ukraine%20Screenshot%20with%20Karina%20Korostelina%20and%20Oleksandra_16x9_Screen%20Shot%202023-02-24%20at%2010.01.33%20AM%201.jpg" width="2839" height="1597" alt="Screenshot from a Zoom call. On the left is Karina Korostelina and on the right is Romantsova Oleksandra." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Karina Korostelina (left) and Romantsova Oleksandra during the virtual event, "One Year After: Ukraine War Analysis and Prospects."</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>Oleksandra spoke about her work to an audience of about 50 people, and answered questions about the war via Zoom. The discussion was moderated by <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/ckoroste">Karina Korostelina</a>, professor and co-director of Mason’s <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/research-and-impact/programs-and-projects/program-prevention-mass-violence">Program for the Prevention of Mass Violence</a>.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“The war in Ukraine has presented a real challenge to those who favor negotiated outcomes,” said Carter School Dean <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/aozerdem">Alpaslan Özerdem</a> in his opening remarks. “However, even if the political space is constrained for negotiations at the moment, we shouldn’t write off what conflict resolution could achieve in the future.”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Oleksandra began by explaining how her work started in 2014—around the time Russia invaded Crimea—and explained how they started with a hotline where they gathered questions about Crimea and Donbas before starting field work there. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>After summer 2014, and the disputed Crimean status referendum, their mobile teams on the ground were blocked, Oleksandra said. </span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><span><span>“They don’t give the possibility of Ukrainian human right defenders of going into the territories,” she said. “So, we collect[ed] information using the help of our partners from Belarus, from Russia, and from other countries.”</span></span></figure><p><span><span>Oleksandra described various ways her team collects information, including gathering testimonials from individuals or relatives of those who have been prosecuted. The team also investigates sites where crimes occurred, and documents the aftermath with photos and video. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Other times, the Center for Civil Liberties uses data from institutions, such as hospitals. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>“We have a lot of evidence that sexual crimes happened, too, like thousands of cases. People [don’t] very directly speak about that with prosecutors or police, but they easily speak with doctors,” Oleksandra said. “That’s why we have some statistics, and we have a national line where the people can call and speak about that.”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Oleksandra’s organization has used all this information to create databases and maps of where human rights violations have occurred.</span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><span><span>“We have now more than 33,000 cases [of] potential war crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide,” she said. “Why ‘potential’? Because at the end, only courts can give this characteristic and classification.”  </span></span></figure><p><span><span>“[The] <a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/">International Criminal Court</a> is working now in Ukraine,” Oleksandra said. “We support them. We give them information, but they will cover maybe 20 cases.” </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Despite a backlog of cases waiting to hit the courts, the work is still worth pursuing. Oleksandra said documenting evidence is important to punish those who committed atrocities, bring justice, protect human rights, promote public awareness, influence policy, and move toward sustainable peace.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Oleksandra said their ideal is to create a new model to deal with the thousands of other cases that demand attention. She also hopes an international tribunal against crimes of aggression would be assembled to hold Russian leaders accountable, including President Vladimir Putin.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“I’m really glad to speak with people who are thinking about what happened in Ukraine and trying to understand what kind of experience Ukraine now can give all the world about war crimes,” Oleksandra said.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>The session was also meaningful for attendees.</span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“The presentation was outstanding,” said Carter School Professor </span></span><a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/drothbar"><span>Daniel Rothbart</span></a><span><span>. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“The selection of [Oleksandra’s] Center for Civil Liberties for the Nobel Peace Prize demonstrates just how vital her work is for bringing peace to this war-torn nation,” he said. “The center represents an inspiration to all of us hoping for a peaceful end to this tragic violence in Ukraine.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBbZ9qM4Yb-I_MCQ1Y3X0GWDqbIfhc6iz">Click here</a> to watch recorded sessions from "One Year After: Ukraine War Analysis and Prospects."</em></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/16211" hreflang="en">Russia-Ukraine war</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2971" hreflang="en">Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1241" hreflang="en">Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3096" hreflang="en">Peacebuilding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15431" hreflang="en">Negotiation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4721" hreflang="en">mass violence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1986" hreflang="en">Guest Speaker</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 13 Mar 2023 15:31:57 +0000 Mariam Aburdeineh 104521 at Ukrainian Freshman Joins Schar School Community, Looks Forward to ‘Whole New Life’ /news/2022-10/ukrainian-freshman-joins-schar-school-community-looks-forward-whole-new-life <span>Ukrainian Freshman Joins Schar School Community, Looks Forward to ‘Whole New Life’</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/586" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Andrew J Schappert</span></span> <span>Tue, 10/18/2022 - 11:41</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--70-30"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-10/Gabriella-Grabovska-web.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="A young woman in front of the Lincoln Memorial drapes a Ukrainian flag in the wind behind her." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Ukrainian student Gabriella Grabovska: ‘Sometimes, when my [Mason] friends see me, they will say, Slava Ukraini [Glory to Ukraine], and I’m so touched in this moment.’ Photos by Ron Aira/Creative Services</figcaption></figure><p><span><span><span><span>Gabriella Grabovska always dreamed of attending college in the United States. Working hard on her studies, the 17-year-old from Ukraine pored through lists of American colleges and set her sights on AV’s </span></span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/"><span>Schar School of Policy and Government</span></a><span><span>. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“It seemed like it was the right fit,” she said. “The level of education, the community. It’s a perfect match for me.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Grabovska felt the strong support of Mason Nation even before she set foot on campus. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Last February, she and her family left their home in Kyiv to travel to the town of Borodyanka. They had planned to return to Kyiv in a couple of days. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and Borodyanka was bombed repeatedly. The barrage destroyed roads and bridges, eliminating any way out. Grabovska and her family were trapped without electricity or heat.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“It was one of the most difficult periods of my life because we had very limited amounts of food and water,” she said. “We were bombed every hour. We had no way to even call our relatives to let them know we were alive.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>She and her family managed to escape to Ternopil, where they remained for more than two months. They finally returned to Kyiv and Grabovska wrote about her terrifying experience in an Instagram post.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“So many people from George Mason supported me,” she said of the post. “They said that my story was eye-opening. They finally realized what the war was really like and I was so grateful to all of them because they started donating money to support Ukraine.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>A </span></span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/programs/undergraduate/major-government-and-international-politics"><span>government and international politics major</span></a><span><span> and member of the </span></span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/why-study-here/student-experience/learning-communities/schar-academic-community"><span>Democracy Lab</span></a><span><span> learning community, she’s immersed herself in her classes, attended extracurricular and social events, and expanded her network of friends.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“I love the people here,” she said. “I’m really interested in talking to lots of people. I’m 100 percent extroverted so it was easy for me.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>One of her favorite courses is GOV 103, taught by </span></span><a href="https://schar.gmu.edu/profiles/jvictor3"><span>Jennifer Victor</span></a><span><span>, an associate professor who also serves as the director of the Democracy Lab. Grabovska recalls being inspired by one of Victor’s early lectures.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“For the first time in my entire life, I had this thought, <em>I want to be her one day</em>,” she said. “She is a professional in her area of interest. She is so energetic. She is always ready to answer our questions.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>One of Grabovska’s preferred spots on campus is the Johnson Center, especially in the evenings when the building buzzes with students.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“It’s kind of motivating to study there because everyone is typing and you’re like, I’ll do that too. I love it,” she said.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>While Grabovska is “just looking forward to my whole new life,” the ongoing war in Ukraine and concerns about her family’s safety are never far from her thoughts. She talks to her parents daily.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“I read the news about Ukraine and the war every day,” she said. “I still get notifications about air alerts. So, when I see an air alert in Kyiv, I text my dad, <em>Are you in a bomb shelter?</em>”  </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Grabovska feels grateful that she is safe in the U.S. and able to pursue her education as a member of the Schar School community, many of whom are aware of what she has been through.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>“Sometimes, when my friends see me, they will say, <em>Slava Ukraini</em> [Glory to Ukraine], and I’m so touched in this moment,” she said. “That’s so cool. They understand what’s going on and they support us. That’s just Mason Nation and I’m happy I ended up at this university.”</span></span></span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-10/Gabriella-Grabovska-3-web.jpg" width="700" height="400" alt="A young woman in a Mason tee shirt sits in front of the statute of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Grabovska’s journey to Mason was fraught with danger: ‘We were bombed every hour. We had no way to even call our relatives to let them know we were alive.’</figcaption></figure></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/jvictor3" hreflang="und">Jennifer N. Victor</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="78808f58-0390-4e1f-8515-b58e162f7313"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://schar.gmu.edu/discover-schar-school-0"> <h4 class="cta__title">Learn more about the Schar School <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-pencil-alt" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; --fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="2996f5ef-dd1b-4e03-9c15-1e058dc850fc"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="https://schar.gmu.edu/why-study-here/admissions/request-more-information"> <h4 class="cta__title">Request program information <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-pencil-alt" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style="--fa-primary-color: #000000; --fa-secondary-color: #000000;"></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:text" data-inline-block-uuid="d80d4458-a9f8-4500-afd4-9cae8ec85af5" class="block block-layout-builder block-inline-blocktext"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/13021" hreflang="en">Democracy Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17011" hreflang="en">Schar School News October 2022</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17476" hreflang="en">Spirit Magazine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17481" hreflang="en">Spirit Spring 2023</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17526" hreflang="en">Patriot Profile</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/18821" hreflang="en">Schar School Student Spotlight</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17756" hreflang="en">Democracy Lab Learning Community</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div> </div> <div> </div> </div> Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:41:08 +0000 Andrew J Schappert 100931 at Podcast - EP41: What it means to build peace /news/2022-07/podcast-ep41-what-it-means-build-peace <span>Podcast - EP41: What it means to build peace</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/266" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Damian Cristodero</span></span> <span>Mon, 07/25/2022 - 12:26</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/president" hreflang="und">Gregory Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aozerdem" hreflang="und">Alpaslan Özerdem</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="color:#333333">Alpaslan </span></span><span style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="color:#5f6368">Ö</span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="color:#333333">zerdem, dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, talks to Mason President Gregory Washington about the keys to effective peacebuilding, whether it concerns the war in Ukraine, gun violence or local issues. And don’t miss the discussions about how the Carter School helped broker a peace accord in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and how an alien invasion could help heal the rift between Russia and the West.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen="" allowtransparency="true" data-name="pb-iframe-player" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=hyb23-6e8bcd-pbblog-playlist&share=1&download=1&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=auto&rtl=0&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=7&size=315" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" title="Access to Excellence Podcast" width="100%"></iframe></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7311" hreflang="en">Access to Excellence podcast</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/326" hreflang="en">Podcast Episode</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">podcast</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1241" hreflang="en">Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8866" hreflang="en">Russia</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/16211" hreflang="en">Russia-Ukraine war</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3096" hreflang="en">Peacebuilding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5456" hreflang="en">gun violence</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 25 Jul 2022 16:26:35 +0000 Damian Cristodero 73261 at Richard Rubenstein attends conference in Rome on peacemaking in Ukraine /news/2022-06/richard-rubenstein-attends-conference-rome-peacemaking-ukraine <span>Richard Rubenstein attends conference in Rome on peacemaking in Ukraine</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/276" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Mariam Aburdeineh</span></span> <span>Tue, 06/28/2022 - 15:20</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/rrubenst" hreflang="und">Richard Rubenstein</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p class="paragraph"><span class="intro-text">AV <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/" target="_blank">Carter School</a> professor <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/rrubenst" target="_blank">Richard Rubenstein</a> attended a workshop conference at the <a href="http://www.pass.va/content/scienzesociali/en.html" target="_blank">Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences</a> at the Vatican on June 6-7 to discuss peacemaking in Ukraine and other global conflict sites. The conference was organized by the U.N. Development Solutions Network headed by Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs.</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/styles/small_content_image/public/2022-06/Richard%20Rubenstein%20at%20Pontifical%20Conference_George%20Mason%20University_Thumbnail.png?itok=3TXNR2Cx" width="350" height="350" alt="AV Carter School professor Richard Rubenstein speaks at the Pontifical Institute for Social Sciences at the Vatican. He is seated at a table, wearing a gray suit and tie, and reading into a microphone. His name is shown on a desk plate. Behind him is Francesco Di Nitto." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Carter School professor Richard Rubenstein speaks on peacemaking in Ukraine at the Vatican. Photo by Gabriella C. Marino.</figcaption></figure><p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>“The purpose was to produce <span>a statement </span>that would be given to the pope<span> and that might also influence the parties to the conflict in Ukraine,” Rubenstein said.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><span><span><span><span><span><span>“The meeting addressed the question </span></span></span><span><span><span>of how to prevent </span></span></span><span><span><span>the conflict in Ukraine</span></span></span><span><span><span> from becoming</span></span></span><span><span><span> a ‘frozen conflict,’ and the need for </span></span></span><span><span><span>early peace </span></span></span><span><span><span>negotiations,” Rubenstein said. “While the issue of what kinds of concessions might need to be made by both parties was discussed, the experts were in agreement that trust needs to be built on both sides and </span></span></span><span><span><span>that </span></span></span><span><span><span>a guarantee of peace in Eastern Europe is a necessity.”</span></span></span> </span></span></span></figure><p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>About 40 VIPs were in attendance, including Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy and 10th president of the European Commission; Jeffrey Sachs, university professor at Columbia University;</span> <span>Michael von der Schulenburg, former United Nations assistant secretary-general in UN Peace Missions; Mario Marazziti, former deputy and president of Human Rights Committee, Italian Parliament; and Nina Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at The New School.</span> </span></span></span></p> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>Attendees each gave a 10- to 15-minute presentation, Rubenstein said, which included open discussions.</span> <br />  </span></span></span><br /><span><span><span>“<a href="https://www.unsdsn.org/participants-of-the-science-and-ethics-of-happiness-study-group-call-on-religious-leaders-for-peace" target="_blank"><span><span>The statement</span></span></a> is now getting more signatories,” said Rubenstein. “It was a good meeting, and it may have some results. We’ll see.” </span></span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><strong><span>What do you hope the impact of the statement will be?</span></strong> </span></span></span></h3> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>“What we want to happen is to get the document into places where it will be discussed by decision makers.” </span> </span></span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><strong><span>What was the pope’s reaction?</span></strong> </span></span></span></h3> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>“Pope <span>Francis </span>has already made a statement on this. The pope says to stop dramatizing, stop trying to turn this into some type of titanic struggle about the fate of an autocracy—that’s not what it’s about. It’s a very interesting statement by the pope and, I think, partly, that’s a response to our discussion.”</span> </span></span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><strong><span>What was your role at the conference?</span></strong> </span></span></span></h3> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>“One of my roles there was to raise the question of when this is all over, how do these people learn to live with each other again? What kind of reconciliation is going to be possible considering how many people are getting killed and how much bitterness has been created by the war?”</span> </span></span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><strong><span>What does this say about the Carter School and Mason to be represented at the meeting?</span></strong> </span></span></span></h3> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span><span>“It’s a really good sign. It’s not just our expertise in negotiation that's being recogni<span>zed, but our </span>independence of mind and our ability to think about the possibilities of peacemaking even in a wartime atmosphere.<span> Everyone at the conference understood that peacemakers may be blessed, but this doesn’t mean they will be popular.</span>”</span> </span></span></span></p> <figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-06/Pontifical%20Conference%20Group%20Shot_Rich%20Rubenstein.png" width="1200" height="552" alt="Attendees of the Pontifical Institute for Social Sciences stand for a photo together outside the Vatican. " loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Attendees at the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences outside of the Vatican. Photo credit: Gabriella C. Marino</figcaption></figure><p class="paragraph"> </p> <p class="paragraph"><span><span><span> </span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6916" hreflang="en">Carter School Leadership</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2971" hreflang="en">Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1241" hreflang="en">Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3096" hreflang="en">Peacebuilding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3586" hreflang="en">peacemaking</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1346" hreflang="en">peacebuilding and analysis</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8866" hreflang="en">Russia</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1001" hreflang="en">global understanding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/206" hreflang="en">Faculty and Staff News</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 28 Jun 2022 19:20:16 +0000 Mariam Aburdeineh 71796 at Podcast - EP 39: Russia's war in Ukraine is tied to corruption, organized crime /news/2022-05/podcast-ep-39-russias-war-ukraine-tied-corruption-organized-crime <span>Podcast - EP 39: Russia's war in Ukraine is tied to corruption, organized crime</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/266" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Damian Cristodero</span></span> <span>Fri, 05/20/2022 - 12:39</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/president" hreflang="und">Gregory Washington</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/lshelley" hreflang="und">Louise I. Shelley</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="background:white"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="color:#333333">Louise Shelley, a University Professor and director of Mason’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center explains to Mason President Gregory Washington the connections between the war in Ukraine and Russian corruption and organized crime, and how criminals and terrorists take advantage in diverse ways of the globalized world in which we live. Shelley’s center exposes that criminality and recently helped take 55 million counterfeit and sub-standard medical masks out of circulation worldwide with the takedown of more than 50,000 online marketplaces and social media posts.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><iframe allowtransparency="true" data-name="pb-iframe-player" height="150" scrolling="no" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?from=embed&i=bjhzt-122f101-pb&share=1&download=1&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=auto&rtl=0&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=7&size=150" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" title="Russia’s war in Ukraine tied to corruption, organized crime" width="100%"></iframe></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7311" hreflang="en">Access to Excellence podcast</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/326" hreflang="en">Podcast Episode</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/226" hreflang="en">podcast</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/556" hreflang="en">Schar School of Policy and Government</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8866" hreflang="en">Russia</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/591" hreflang="en">Schar School of Policy and Government Terrorism Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6241" hreflang="en">transnational crime</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8701" hreflang="en">Corruption</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 20 May 2022 16:39:34 +0000 Damian Cristodero 70451 at Mason students map the Russia-Ukraine war through personal stories /news/2022-05/mason-students-map-russia-ukraine-war-through-personal-stories <span>Mason students map the Russia-Ukraine war through personal stories</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/276" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Mariam Aburdeineh</span></span> <span>Mon, 05/09/2022 - 13:17</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aozerdem" hreflang="und">Alpaslan Özerdem</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ckoroste" hreflang="und">Karina Korostelina</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ssimmon5" hreflang="und">Solon Simmons</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">Despite being more than 5,000 miles away from the war in Ukraine, students at AV’s <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/">Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a> are actively assessing the conflict dynamics, with hopes that their research could improve the situation.</span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-05/Keil%20Eggers%20300x300.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Headshot of Keil Eggers" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Keil Eggers is part of a team at AV that is digitally mapping the Ukraine-Russia war.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>“A lot of students in [<a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/ssimmon5">Solon Simmons’</a> Peace Engineering and Participatory Approaches to Narrative] class felt it would be important to do what we could locally with our set of methods and tools to try and help,” said Keil Eggers, Peace Engineering Lab manager and Carter School PhD student.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>They’re creating a digital map of the war through peoples’ lived experiences.</span></span></p> <h3><span><span><strong><span>Mapping the Conflict</span></strong></span></span></h3> <p><span><span>The team, which includes faculty and seven students ranging from the undergraduate to PhD levels, is creating this map using <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkRe7Xg7pk4">SenseMaker</a>, a program that allows for a large-scale collection of narratives.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Their <a href="https://peaceengineering.carterschool.gmu.edu/sensemaking-in-ukraine/">SenseMaking in Ukraine</a> project asks participants—ranging from U.S. citizens to those impacted on the ground in Ukraine and Russia—to answer one of three prompts. Responses can be submitted in English, Ukrainian or Russian:</span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><ul><li>How can ordinary people support peace in Ukraine? Share one of your lived experiences that shows how help can be given or how it has been blocked.</li> <li>Start a conversation: Tell us one of your lived experiences that you would want people who are on the other side to hear.</li> <li>What have you noticed about the conflict in Ukraine that makes you hopeful or concerned about a peaceful future</li> </ul></figure><p><span><span>A unique aspect of SenseMaker is that participants evaluate their submissions through questions, including a series of triangles, where each point represents an opinion. </span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-05/situation%20will%20improve%20when%20people%20triangle.png" width="300" height="300" alt="A diagram of one of the SenseMaker triangles with coordinates scattered within it, indicating where participants placed their answers. " loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>SenseMaker Triangle showing where participants placed their answer among the three choices within the triangle.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>For the question, “The situation will improve when people…,” the points represent:</span></span></p> <ol><li><span><span>Thoughtfully react to the needs of the present</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Overcome historical divides</span></span></li> <li><span><span>Achieve security over the long term</span></span></li> </ol><p><span><span>“By placing their dot as a balance between one of those factors, you get quantitative data for each person’s story,” Eggers said, adding that Mason students designed the survey questions and will support the data analysis. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>The data will help uncover patterns, he said, and will become part of a public dashboard the team is creating to support understanding and next steps.</span></span></p> <h3><span><span><strong><span>Impacting Change</span></strong></span></span></h3> <p><span><span>This is the first time the school has used SenseMaker in an active conflict, Eggers said. The class hopes to influence change by hosting workshops about the narratives.</span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><span><span>“Most of the time in those stories, you start to ask people, ‘What can you do tomorrow to create more stories like ones you want to see and fewer stories like the ones you don’t,’” Eggers said, quoting SenseMaker thought leader Dave Snowden. </span></span></figure><p><span><span>“You get people directly thinking about what they can do in their own lives, whether that’s giving aid, doing some kind of really local small action, or for somebody who’s actually making decisions, to change policy.”</span></span></p> <h3><span><span><span><strong><span><span>More Than a Story</span></span></strong></span></span></span></h3> <p><span><span>“The SenseMaking tool is one way to uncover the very complex process of meaning-making in how people see the peace process,” said <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/ckoroste">Karina Korostelina</a>, professor and director of the <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/research-and-impact/programs-and-projects/program-prevention-mass-violence" target="_blank">Program for the Prevention of Mass Violence</a>.</span></span></p> <figure role="group" class="align-right"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-03/Karina%20Korostelina%20Thumbnail.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Headshot of Professor Karina Korostelina. She is smiling at the camera wearing a blue and white dress and beaded necklace." loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Karina Korostelina, professor and director of George Mason's Program for the Prevention of Mass Violence. </figcaption></figure><p><span><span>In Ukraine, she said, peacemaking will likely include territorial concessions, which create moral dilemmas. Another dynamic, she said, is that people on both sides view the conflict drastically differently because of <a href="/news/2022-03/conflict-ukraine-fueled-putins-information-war-carter-school-expert-says-heres-what">Putin’s information war</a>.</span></span></p> <p>“Helping reveal these complex patterns, and how people think about the issues, is very important for informing the peace process because governments and international actors have to know how people see and think about it,” she said.</p> <p><span><span>The class, which is part of the school’s <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/research-impact/carter-school-peace-labs/peace-engineering-lab">Peace Engineering Lab</a>, exemplifies the Carter School’s key principles of innovation, integration of research and practice, and global impact, said Dean <a href="https://carterschool.gmu.edu/profiles/aozerdem">Alpaslan Özerdem</a>.</span></span></p> <figure class="quote"><span><span><span><span><span>“At the Carter School, we always strive to incorporate the cutting edge of scholarship and practice in our classroom experience,” Simmons added. “This project is a great example of how to do just that.”</span></span></span></span></span></figure><figure role="group" class="align-left"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-05/Solon%20Simmons_Thumbnail.jpg" width="300" height="300" alt="Headshot of Solon Simmons" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>Solon Simmons, Associate Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>Students also benefit from the experience, as their contributions have peace-impacting potential.  </span></span></p> <p><span><span><span>“SenseMaking in Ukraine brings an innovative way of responding to the war, and preparing our future capacities and knowledge base for the war’s end, so that the Carter School could respond to its peacemaking and peacebuilding challenges from a more informed basis with solid partnerships on the ground,” </span>Özerdem said.<span> “It shows the real impact that our Peace Labs have started to have.”</span></span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1241" hreflang="en">Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6916" hreflang="en">Carter School Leadership</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3096" hreflang="en">Peacebuilding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3586" hreflang="en">peacemaking</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/336" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/116" hreflang="en">Campus News</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15776" hreflang="en">Peace Engineering Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/8866" hreflang="en">Russia</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6796" hreflang="en">Narrative</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 09 May 2022 17:17:45 +0000 Mariam Aburdeineh 69846 at George Mason Students from Ukraine Describe Horrors of War from Afar /news/2022-04/george-mason-students-ukraine-describe-horrors-war-afar <span>George Mason Students from Ukraine Describe Horrors of War from Afar </span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/586" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Andrew J Schappert</span></span> <span>Wed, 04/20/2022 - 11:12</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><figure role="group"><div> <div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img src="/sites/g/files/yyqcgq291/files/2022-04/Photo-of-Solomiya-Shpak-Mariana-Verbovska-and-Mariia-Panga-from-left-to_right.jpg" width="600" height="374" alt="Photo of Solomiya Shpak, Mariana Verbovska, and Mariia Panga from left to right" loading="lazy" typeof="foaf:Image" /></div> </div> <figcaption>From left, Solomiya Shpak, Mariana Verbovska, and Mariia Panga address the audience during the Schar School ‘Ask Me Anything’ session about developments in their home country of Ukraine.</figcaption></figure><p><span><span>The war in Ukraine was brought home on April 7 when three students with direct ties to the besieged country presented an “Ask Me Anything” session with members of the AV community. The 90-minute event took place with an audience of about 30 at Van Metre Hall at Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus).</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Solomiya Shpak, one of the panelists and current postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="http://schar.gmu.edu/">Schar School of Policy and Government</a> at Mason, was in Kyiv as Russia started bombing Ukrainian cities early on the morning of February 24. Shpak, eight months pregnant at the time the war began, told the audience how she and her family escaped Kyiv to western Ukraine by car.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Facing continued peril in Lviv, the family took the arduous 22-hour drive to the Romanian border. Her husband, however, was not permitted to leave the country and remained behind while the rest of the family continued to Hungary.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“Thankfully, we reached Budapest safely and stayed there for another week where friends from Hungarian Academy of Sciences organized a place to stay for us,” she said. “In Budapest, we decided that the best decision for us would be to go to Washington, D.C., where I can have huge support network.”</span></span></p> <p><span><span>That network included Schar School faculty, fellow students, and other Ukranians, as well as former colleagues of her husband’s from the National Endowment for Democracy. Administrators at the Schar School offered a postdoctoral fellowship upon her return.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Mariana Verbovska, a Fulbright fellow at Mason’s Department of Communication, came to the university in November 2021 with her husband and 3-year-old son; the rest of her family, including her mother and father, remained in Ukraine to face the eventual Russian onslaught.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“My parents live in a region that has a border with Belarus, so they are not safe,” she said. “My friends are in Lviv and Kyiv, and it's heartbreaking to read the news and get messages from them.” </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Mariia Panga, a PhD student at the Schar School, shared how she found out about the war from her new home in Arlington, Virginia, near Mason Square.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“It was around 11 p.m.,” she told the Mason audience. “I was watching the live broadcast of the UN Security Council. There the permanent representative for Ukraine told the Council that Putin declared war on Ukraine. I started panicking. I looked at my phone and I saw posts on Facebook that Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa were being bombed. I will never forget this moment.” </span></span></p> <p><span><span>One of the participants asked a question about the current safety of the panelists’ families and friends. The panelists were unequivocal and in unanimous agreement: “Nobody is safe in Ukraine,” they said.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>They also verified news reports that Russia is targeting residential buildings, hospitals, and bomb shelters.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>Other questions from the audience touched on how those in the U.S. can assist Ukraine (donate to reliable humanitarian organizations, contract Congressional representatives), how the war might end, and why Vladimir Putin is obsessed with Ukraine. </span></span></p> <p><span><span>Panga also announced an <a href="https://forms.gle/1reocNVXPut6kMhc8">online petition</a> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><span><span>for the Mason community.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span>In the end, the panelists offered they only thing they could be sure of: hope.</span></span></p> <p><span><span>“But we are resilient,” Verbovska declared. “I firmly believe that love and truth will win, and that this is a historic turning point.”</span></span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15456" hreflang="en">Schar School News April 2022</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:12:48 +0000 Andrew J Schappert 68846 at Collected Resources on the Ukraine Invasion /news/2022-04/collected-resources-ukraine-invasion <span>Collected Resources on the Ukraine Invasion</span> <span><span lang="" about="/user/256" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="" xml:lang="">Paul Snodgrass</span></span> <span>Thu, 04/07/2022 - 13:28</span> <div class="layout layout--gmu layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--30-70"> <div class="layout__region region-first"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_associated_people" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-associated-people"> <h2>In This Story</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-associated-people field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">People Mentioned in This Story</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/aozerdem" hreflang="und">Alpaslan Özerdem</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/ckoroste" hreflang="und">Karina Korostelina</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/rrubenst" hreflang="und">Richard Rubenstein</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/profiles/sallen29" hreflang="und">Susan Allen</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="inline_block:call_to_action" data-inline-block-uuid="72790826-71f0-4dc8-bbb7-7442c0e13050"> <div class="cta"> <a class="cta__link" href="/news/2022-03/point-view-statement-conflict-ukraine-negotiate-peace-now"> <h4 class="cta__title">Point of View Statement on Conflict in Ukraine: Negotiate Peace Now <i class="fas fa-arrow-circle-right"></i> </h4> <span class="cta__icon"> <div class="field field--name-field-cta-icon field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-font-awesome-icon field--type-fontawesome-icon field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Icon</div> <div class="field__item"><div class="fontawesome-icons"> <div class="fontawesome-icon"> <i class="fas fa-dove" data-fa-transform="" data-fa-mask="" style=""></i> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="layout__region region-second"> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:body" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasebody"> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Body</div> <div class="field__item"><p><span class="intro-text">The Carter School has collected articles and seminars written and presented by our faculty to help researchers, peacebuilders, and knowledge seekers understand the scope and impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine.  As new resources become available, they will be added to this page.</span></p> <h2>Student Initiative</h2> <p>The Carter School <a href="http://peaceengineering.carterschool.gmu.edu">Peace Engineering Lab</a> and students of the “CONF 695- Peace Engineering and Participatory Approaches to Narrative” course have launched <a href="https://peaceengineering.carterschool.gmu.edu/sensemaking-in-ukraine/">Sensemaking in Ukraine</a> to bring to light the experiences of everyone who has been affected and better understand what can be done to improve the situation in the short term and prepare for peace.</p> <h2>Seminars</h2> <div alt="YouTube Video: "Response to the War in Ukraine, March 10, 2022"" style="min-width: 50%;"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-video-embed-field field--type-video-embed-field field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sh96t7CxZ1M?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> <p> </p> <div alt="YouTube Video: "Addressing the War in Ukraine: The Views from Georgia and Ukraine"" style="min-width: 50%;"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-video-embed-field field--type-video-embed-field field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"><iframe width="854" height="480" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iSBuLhrpGNg?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> <p>Karina Korostelina spoke at a web conference hosted by Al Jazeera Center for Studies on March 28 and 29, 2022 entitled “<a href="https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/events/speakers-ajcs-conference%C2%A0russian-war-ukraine-destabilising-international-order-and-hastening">Redrawing Spheres of Influence: The Dynamics and Implications of the Russian-Ukrainian War.</a>”</p> <p>Karina Korostelina co-organized a panel entitled<em> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEoyxVEOEaw">Conflict, politics and crisis in Ukraine Implications for EiE</a>, </em>an<em> Education in Conflict & Emergencies Seminar</em> on Monday April 11, 2022.</p> <p>On April 6, 2022, the Russian and Eurasian Studies Program at AV held an online discussion featuring Karina Korostelina on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9r18FvNQWU">Current State of Russia's War on Ukraine</a> with the participation of faculty with specializations in history, politics, and conflict analysis and resolution</p> <h2>Articles</h2> <p>Karina Korostelina was featured in Mason News on March 4, 2022: <a href="/news/2022-03/conflict-ukraine-fueled-putins-information-war-carter-school-expert-says-heres-what">The conflict in Ukraine is fueled by Putin’s information war, Carter School expert says. Here’s what needs to be done</a>.</p> <p>Richard Rubenstein wrote <a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/03/04/the-ukrainian-conflict-and-the-imperial-world-system">The Ukrainian Conflict and the Imperial World System</a> for CounterPunch on March 4, 2022. </p> <p>Alpaslan Özerdem wrote an article for The Conversation entitled, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-montreux-convention-is-and-what-it-means-for-the-ukraine-war-178136">What the Montreux Convention is, and what it means for the Ukraine war</a>, published March 1, 2022.</p> <p>Susan Allen and Paula Garb are signatories to the letter <em>Independent American and Russian Women Call for Peace </em>published in <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/russia-women-peace-letter/">The Nation</a> and in Russian at <a href="https://newizv.ru/news/society/16-02-2022/stanovites-ryadom-s-nami-amerikanskie-i-rossiyskie-zhenschiny-prizyvayut-k-miru">Новые известия</a> on February 15, 2022.<em> </em></p> <p> </p> <p>Social Media Image Credit:<em> </em><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ukraine_(orthographic_projection).svg" target="_blank">Image by M.Bitton</a> is licensed under the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International</a> license via Wikimedia Commons.</p> <p>Updated April, 12, 2022</p> </div> </div> </div> <div data-block-plugin-id="field_block:node:news_release:field_content_topics" class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodenews-releasefield-content-topics"> <h2>Topics</h2> <div class="field field--name-field-content-topics field--type-entity-reference field--label-visually_hidden"> <div class="field__label visually-hidden">Topics</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15151" hreflang="en">Ukraine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/811" hreflang="en">School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/3096" hreflang="en">Peacebuilding</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/5126" hreflang="en">Violence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/15431" hreflang="en">Negotiation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/14581" hreflang="en">International Relations</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 07 Apr 2022 17:28:28 +0000 Paul Snodgrass 68381 at