The Role of Non-Violent Strategies in Violent Contexts

On October 10-12, the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacyhosted a workshop exploring "The Role of Non-Violent Strategies in Violent Contexts." The two-day workshop, held at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, examined how non-violent groups in violent environments affect security outcomes. Non-violent actors—particularly local civilians, NGOs, and transnational corporations—affect stability in conflict zones and the prospects for post-conflict development and governance. Participants analyzed the behavior of these actors as a group so as to better inform efforts to shape security environments, reduce asymmetric violence, and create conditions for long-term peace and stability.

A highlight of the event was the keynote by Dr. Peter Ackerman, the Founding Chair of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict. Dr. Ackerman spoke to a crowd of academics, practitioners and students about how and when civil resistance campaigns succeed and about his work to advance the world's understanding of civil resistance.

The focus of the workshop on nonviolent strategies forms one component of the Sié Center's new five-year program: "Global Security in the 21st Century: Mitigating Violence, Fostering Resilience" and also served as the launch event for this new program.