Europaeum Summer School

The 2012 Europaeum Summer School took place at the University of Oxford on the theme Conflict Resolution in Europe: Lessons for Tomorrow. From September 2nd - 7th, participants reflected on the complexities of European and global governance with particular reference to conflict resolution within Europe over recent decades. The Summer school brought together academic experts, practitioners, reporters from the field, policy-makers and journalists, to provide a variety of perspectives on such conflict scenarios as Northern Ireland, the Basque region, and the Balkans. Invited speakers included Richard Caplan, Sir Adam Roberts, Hew Strachan, Guy-Goodwin-Gill, Robert Harris, Andrew Hurrell, Mark Malloch-Brown, Lord Ashdown, David Trimble, Peter Hain, and Robert Fox.

Among questions discussed were the following: What factors predispose people to discord? Which strategies extract them from chronic cycles of strife and violence? How can Europe aid post-conflict state building which aims to prevent outbreaks from recurring? What does the future hold for NATO, and what problems face the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy? What lessons has Europe learned about conflict resolution and prevention? How, if at all, have European institutions contributed to spreading peace?