April 19 Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc. & BU’s Iranian Student Organization Present: Justice and Democratic Future of Iran, Lecture by Dr. Payam Akhavan, Followed by Free Screening of The Green Wave, Film by Ali Samadi Ahadi; Q&A with the director follows the screening.

April 8 & 9 In the third session, Ali Mirsepassi will discuss on society and modern violence. He will argue what are the conceptual and discursive underpinnings of modern violence.

Monday, March 28, 2011 Time: 1-3pm Location: Campus Center, 3rd Floor, Ballroom C, University of Massachusetts Boston Lecturer: Margot Badran, Senior Scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars This event is co-sponsored by the Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc., the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, the Office of International and Transnational Affairs and the Women’s Studies Department.

(Farsi) March 25-26, 2011 با رسیدن افراد یک جامعه به حس فاعلیت و توانمندی ، دستیابی به مبانی مدرنیته در یک جامعه محقق می شود. چگونه این مبانی تجدد،‌ زمینه ساز ایجاد نهادهای دنیای مدرن خواهد شد؟ نهادهایی که مبتنی بر قانون، تضمین کننده آزادی های سیاسی و اجتماعی مردم می شوند. نهادهایی که با برقراری نظام پارلمانی دموکراتیک و مطبوعات آزاد می توانند به درستی عمل کنند. ولی فرآیند تولید افراد داری حس فاعلیت و توانمندی، حداقل در طول تاریخ تاکنون، همواره با خشونت در ابعاد مختلف سیاسی و اجتماعی همراه بوده است. مدرنیته و تاثیرات آن بر افزایش خشونت در جامعه موضوع دو جلسه بحت دکتر فرزین وحدت خواهد بود

March 5 Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc., Iranian Student Organization, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Muslim Studies departments at Boston University present a panel discussion on women and uprisings in the Middle East. The panel addresses role of women in the current uprisings in the Middle East and their impact on the future perspective of women’s rights in the region.

March 11-12 The public and the private sphere have become an integral part of the discourse of liberal democratic thought. The question, however, is: how do we determine each of these spheres? Who has what type of rights and obligations within each domain? What is the legitimate justification for the power of government over the individuals? What are the rights and obligations of the individuals when there is abuse of power? Who should be the ultimate judge of deciding what laws are just and what are unjust?

Persian Event, March 11-12 In this series of lectures on roots of violence and conflict resolution, the speakers will shed light on historical, sociological and philosophical aspects of violence from a theoretical perspective. The participants will gain knowledge of barriers and challenges to peaceful initiatives to overcome violence, as well as sources of intolerance and violence against ethnic groups, women, and religions and linguistic minorities.

February 3, 2011 How did the simultaneous Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) and Security Sector Reform (SSR) impact the Afghan government’s ability to assist Coalition Forces to create a safe and secure environment?

January 11, 2011 One of the Institute’s core missions is strengthening capabilities of decision makers around the world to manage post-conflict transitions successfully.  The Strategic Economic Needs and Security Exercise (SENSE), originally developed by the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), is a computer-facilitated simulation that focuses on negotiations and decision-making in a post-conflict environment.

December 09/2010 Despite efforts by the Obama administration to move Israeli-Palestinian negotiations forward, the peace process appears to remain at an impasse. How do Arab and Jewish Israelis view the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the peace efforts, and the administration’s role? How do Americans view the Middle East peace issue as a U.S. foreign policy priority, and what kind of role would they like to see Washington play?