Request for input into a Curriculum for Leadership in a Conflict Environment

[TheCurmudgeon]

I currently work as an ROTC APMS. The university I am had a Leadership minor track for Military Leadership. I have been asked to assist in updating that track. The current thought is to designing a program for a minor in Leadership in a Conflict Environment. It would be an interdisciplinary program designed for people intending to work for government agencies or NGOs where there is a current conflict or the threat of conflict.

I am looking for ideas for what should be included. Initial thoughts include a class on international law, psychology of violence, a class on tribal dynamics (sociology or anthropology), political science on the players in the environment or warlord politics, and a leadership class, but we have nothing down on paper yet.

In any case, my experience is limited to the military-reconstruction side. I am looking for ideas from others. If you are not military what would you have wanted to know as a manager of people in a conflict area. If you are military what would you have liked your partners in government or in non-governmental organizations or even young lieutenants to have known.

Thanks

[M-A Lagrange]

Here are some tips, but better if you PM me with some specific questions.
Some links with material that can be useful:

On the Civil Military Coordination:
http://ochaonline.un.org/?TabId=1274

http://www.odihpn.org/report.asp?ID=3133 (a nice article)

http://www.unjlc.org/tools/FOM/supporting_docs/FOM_PUB_6_4_13_Draft%20CMCoord%20Concept.pdf (a draft of the full concept paper)

http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_2486_en.htm (Link to the EU approach and handbook)

I would also recommend you to include some stuff on the military command and communication lines as well. Just to make sure that people you train know where to go and who to speak to and do not bother everybody looking for the dam unknown officer in charge of that unknown project just because they ask for the PSY guy who works on the schools while they look for the CIMIC officer.

I think that can be a good introduction course to the complex dimension of humanitarian/civil action in conflict areas and the diversity of military actors the trainee will have to deal with:
- Parties of the conflict,
- Conventional troops
- Non conventional/insurgents troops,
- UN TCC
- National army
- External powers
- Civil administration
- UN agencies
- UN mission
- NGO

Then I would suggest you to go to the ICRC web site to get all documentation on the Humanitarian Laws and treaties.
You will also find a tremendous amount of material to illustrate almost any subject.
The MSF web site is also very good
http://www.msf.org/
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

A more US oriented approach will be found at CARE and IRC web sites
www.care.org
www.theirc.org

Naturally, you will have plenty doc available at USAID and OFDA sites.

Strangely, I would recommend you to use the US army doctrine for stabilization handbook to introduce all the complexity of the civilian and military common objectives and opposing points of view. This will allow you to introduce softly the problematic of State requirements in stabilization versus the NGO peace building approach.

Great material is naturally: GUIDE TO REBUILDING GOVERNANCE IN STABILITY OPERATIONS: A ROLE FOR THE MILITARY?
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB925.pdf
That was discussed a lot in SWJ. Wonderful starting point that gives you many entry points for all the practical approach.
On the same subject: http://www.fas.org/man/eprint/carson.pdf

PS: if you need a prof with some field background… I’m currently available :D

[jmm99]

if you went off and became an ivory towered prof somewhere, what would the UN do without you ? :):D

Speaking of the UN, looking at the Peace Operations Training Institute (http://www.peaceopstraining.org/) and its Curriculum (http://www.peaceopstraining.org/our_courses/course_list) might be helpful in developing the Leadership in a Conflict Environment program. When I looked at this a year or so ago, I easily came up with over a dozen courses that interested me - see attached pdf.

You might also look to the United States Institute of Peace (http://www.usip.org/) and its Certificate Course in Conflict Analysis (http://www.usip.org/education-training/courses/certificate-course-in-conflict-analysis) - basically a survey course covering:


Classifying phases of conflict using the curve of conflict

Identifying interventions appropriate to different phases of a conflict

Analyzing the conflict in Kosovo and the genocide in Rwanda using terms and concepts from the curve of conflict

Generating a thorough set of characteristics for describing conflict using an analytical framework

Analyzing the conflict in Kosovo and the genocide in Rwanda using terms and concepts from the framework

Analyzing unfamiliar conflicts using terms and concepts from the curve and framework

Or just hire Lagrange, since those are venues he knows. ;)

Regards

Mike