Mary Hope Schwoebel

Senior Program Officer, Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding

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Contact

Please submit all media inquiries to interviews@usip.org or call 202.429.3869.

For all other inquiries, please call 202.457.1700.

Languages:

Workable: Spanish, Somali,
Passable: Portuguese, Guarani
Smattering: French, Swahili
Studying: Pashto

Issue Areas: Education, Gender and Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities

Countries: Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Somalia

Mary Hope Schwoebel is a senior program officer in the Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. She holds a Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University and an M.Ed. in adult and non-formal education for international development from the University of California, Davis. Her dissertation was entitled Nation-building in the Lands of the Somalis and compared three state-building and peacebuilding interventions in terms of how they negotiated Somali, Islamic, and Western models of governance and conflict resolution. For the past ten years Mary Hope has worked as a consultant for international organizations. She also conducted peace and conflict assessments and evaluations around the world, including South Asia, East, West, and southern Africa, and elsewhere.

Prior to that she lived and worked in Africa for six years and South America for five years. She has taught peace and conflict studies, international relations, and foreign policy as adjunct faculty at American, Georgetown, and George Mason universities. She has over 25 years of experience as a trainer for multilateral and non-governmental organizations in conflict management, disaster management, humanitarian assistance, democracy and governance, peacebuilding and development. At USIP she has designed and taught courses for universities in Fiji, Kashmir, and Costa Rica; trained international police and peacekeepers from Africa, South America, Europe and South Asia; and trained NGOs in Colombia, Nigeria, and Haiti.

Having Their Say: Women Protesters Emerge as a Force in the Arab Spring
Q+A with Arabic Knowledge @ Wharton | November 2011

Publications:

"Peacekeeping, Peacemaking, Peacebuilding," co-authored with Erin McCandless. World at Risk: A Global Issues Source Book (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2008)
"Towards a Theory, Method, and Practice of Appreciative Inquiry: For Use in Complex Peacebuilding and Development Contexts," co-authored with Erin McCandless. Positive Approaches to Peacebuilding: A Resource for Innovators. Edited by Mohammed Abu Nimer, et al., (PACT Publications, 2002)
"Creative Marginality: Exploring the Links Between Conflict Resolution and Social Work," co-authored with Jay Rothman and Randi Jean Land. Peace and Conflict Studies (Volume 8, Number 1. May 2001)
"Stay in Your Own Lane: The Military and NGOs in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies," Security Dialogue (Vol. 29, No. 2, June 1998)

Publications & Tools

	USIP Working to Consolidate Gains of Women and Girls in Afghanistan July 2012 USIP has established a program, Capacity-Building and Dialogues for Afghan Women, in an effort to reach beyond the capital Kabul and help prepare women elsewhere to play a role in peace and post-conflict processes. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Gender and Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Youth and Peacebuilding
	State Official to Discuss U.S. Responses to Humanitarian Crises September 2011 \| News Feature by Thomas Omestad In the humanitarian crisis hitting the Horn of Africa, the international community faces a complex set of factors that extend beyond the need to relieve the region’s vast famine and human dislocation. Countries: Africa \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Human Rights, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Déjà vu: Famine and Crisis in Somalia September 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Somalia is currently experiencing the worst drought and famine in over half a century. Half of the population (close to four million people) is dependent on food aid, while tens of thousands are estimated to have died since the drought began this past summer. Countries: Africa, Somalia \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Health and Peacebuilding, Human Rights, Rule of Law
	Women and the Arab Spring May 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Women's participation in the Arab Spring has been significant, but it remains to be seen, however, if their participation will result in increased opportunities for women in the public sphere when the dust settles. USIP’s Mary Hope Schwoebel discusses the opportunities and challenges for women in the Arab Spring. Countries: Africa, Asia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Gender and Peacebuilding, Political Reform
	USIP Does "Peace Multiplication" in Nigeria April 2011 \| News Feature by Gordon Lubold United States Institute of Peace trainers in March completed a five-day exercise in Nigeria for Nigerian Army peacekeepers who are preparing to deploy across the continent for a host of missions. Countries: Africa, Nigeria \| Issue Areas: Education, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Training
	Starting an Af-Pak Dialogue April 2011 \| News Feature by Thomas Omestad Since early 2010, USIP’s Cross-Border Dialogue Initiative has brought together more than 300 people, teaching the skills of policy advocacy and negotiation and, at the same time, building bridges between communities suffering from endemic violence and separated by a tense national border. Countries: Afghanistan, Asia, Pakistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Political Reform
	Women in Yemen's Protests April 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Amid the upheavals in Yemen, USIP’s Mary Hope Schwoebel discusses the role of women in the political protests and how it is likely to affect their future status. Countries: Asia, Yemen \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Gender and Peacebuilding, Human Rights, Political Reform
	Flooding Challenges Pakistan's Government and the International Community August 2010 \| Peace Brief by Altaf Ullah Khan and Mary Hope Schwoebel The flooding and associated devastation that have battered Pakistan since late July 2010 present yet another series of challenges to its government, already contending with violence from extremist groups. The international community would do well to assist the Pakistani government in responding effectively to these challenges. Countries: Pakistan \| Issue Areas: Economics and Conflict, Human Rights
	Haiti After the Earthquake January 2010 \| Peace Brief by Robert M. Perito and Members of USIP's Haiti Team USIP assesses the damage done by the devastating earthquake, and recommends strategies for Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction. Countries: Haiti \| Issue Areas: Economics and Conflict, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	U.S. Institute of Peace Teaches International Security Personnel to Resolve Conflicts without Resorting to the Use of Force July 2009 \| Peace Brief by Mary Hope Schwoebel Over the past decade, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has trained members of police and military forces around the world to prepare them to participate in international peacekeeping operations or to contribute to post-conflict stabilization and rule of law interventions in their own or in other war-torn countries. Most of the training takes place outside the United States, from remote, rugged bases to centrally located schools and academies, from Senegal to Nepal, from Italy to the Philippines. Issue Areas: Training
	On the Issues: Women, Conflict, and Peacebuilding March 2009 Over the past 15 years, USIP has supported over 90 projects related to women, conflict, and peacebuilding. From grants to fellowships, from training to education, from working groups to publications, the Institute strives to encourage more practice and scholarly work on women, and seeks to deepen understanding of the role of women in conflict and in peace.

Events

	December 11, 2009 Building Peace in Muslim Tribal Societies In Muslim tribal cultures, such as in Somalia and Yemen, conflicts traditionally involve tribes, clans, and extended families and are perpetuated through violent revenge, sometimes over generations. Conflict resolution traditionally consists of blood payments, with religious leaders and elders playing the role of mediators. Programs: Workshops and Training in Zones of Conflict
	July 31, 2009 Transitional Justice, Community Reconstruction, and Citizenship in Postwar Guatemala Since the internal armed conflict in Guatemala ended in 1996, millions of dollars have been spent on transitional justice, but the state's efforts to create an effective justice system have largely failed -- obliging many Guatemalans to create their own coping mechanisms for war-time atrocities, and severely limiting the effectiveness of ongoing transitional justice efforts. Countries: Guatemala \| Issue Areas: Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities \| Programs: Jennings Randolph Senior Fellowship Program
	September 16, 2008 Gustavo Moncayo and Consuelo González de Perdomo Countries: Colombia \| Programs: Workshops and Training in Zones of Conflict

	USIP Working to Consolidate Gains of Women and Girls in Afghanistan July 2012 USIP has established a program, Capacity-Building and Dialogues for Afghan Women, in an effort to reach beyond the capital Kabul and help prepare women elsewhere to play a role in peace and post-conflict processes. Countries: Afghanistan \| Issue Areas: Gender and Peacebuilding, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities, Youth and Peacebuilding
	State Official to Discuss U.S. Responses to Humanitarian Crises September 2011 \| News Feature by Thomas Omestad In the humanitarian crisis hitting the Horn of Africa, the international community faces a complex set of factors that extend beyond the need to relieve the region’s vast famine and human dislocation. Countries: Africa \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Human Rights, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Political Reform, Post-Conflict and Peacekeeping Activities
	Déjà vu: Famine and Crisis in Somalia September 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Somalia is currently experiencing the worst drought and famine in over half a century. Half of the population (close to four million people) is dependent on food aid, while tens of thousands are estimated to have died since the drought began this past summer. Countries: Africa, Somalia \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Health and Peacebuilding, Human Rights, Rule of Law
	Women and the Arab Spring May 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Women's participation in the Arab Spring has been significant, but it remains to be seen, however, if their participation will result in increased opportunities for women in the public sphere when the dust settles. USIP’s Mary Hope Schwoebel discusses the opportunities and challenges for women in the Arab Spring. Countries: Africa, Asia, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Gender and Peacebuilding, Political Reform
	USIP Does "Peace Multiplication" in Nigeria April 2011 \| News Feature by Gordon Lubold United States Institute of Peace trainers in March completed a five-day exercise in Nigeria for Nigerian Army peacekeepers who are preparing to deploy across the continent for a host of missions. Countries: Africa, Nigeria \| Issue Areas: Education, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Training
	Starting an Af-Pak Dialogue April 2011 \| News Feature by Thomas Omestad Since early 2010, USIP’s Cross-Border Dialogue Initiative has brought together more than 300 people, teaching the skills of policy advocacy and negotiation and, at the same time, building bridges between communities suffering from endemic violence and separated by a tense national border. Countries: Afghanistan, Asia, Pakistan \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Mediation and Facilitation, Negotiation and Diplomacy, Political Reform
	Women in Yemen's Protests April 2011 \| On the Issues by Mary Hope Schwoebel Amid the upheavals in Yemen, USIP’s Mary Hope Schwoebel discusses the role of women in the political protests and how it is likely to affect their future status. Countries: Asia, Yemen \| Issue Areas: Conflict Analysis and Prevention, Gender and Peacebuilding, Human Rights, Political Reform
	Flooding Challenges Pakistan's Government and the International Community August 2010 \| Peace Brief by Altaf Ullah Khan and Mary Hope Schwoebel The flooding and associated devastation that have battered Pakistan since late July 2010 present yet another series of challenges to its government, already contending with violence from extremist groups. The international community would do well to assist the Pakistani government in responding effectively to these challenges. Countries: Pakistan \| Issue Areas: Economics and Conflict, Human Rights
	Haiti After the Earthquake January 2010 \| Peace Brief by Robert M. Perito and Members of USIP's Haiti Team USIP assesses the damage done by the devastating earthquake, and recommends strategies for Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction. Countries: Haiti \| Issue Areas: Economics and Conflict, Security Sector Reform/Governance
	U.S. Institute of Peace Teaches International Security Personnel to Resolve Conflicts without Resorting to the Use of Force July 2009 \| Peace Brief by Mary Hope Schwoebel Over the past decade, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has trained members of police and military forces around the world to prepare them to participate in international peacekeeping operations or to contribute to post-conflict stabilization and rule of law interventions in their own or in other war-torn countries. Most of the training takes place outside the United States, from remote, rugged bases to centrally located schools and academies, from Senegal to Nepal, from Italy to the Philippines. Issue Areas: Training
	On the Issues: Women, Conflict, and Peacebuilding March 2009 Over the past 15 years, USIP has supported over 90 projects related to women, conflict, and peacebuilding. From grants to fellowships, from training to education, from working groups to publications, the Institute strives to encourage more practice and scholarly work on women, and seeks to deepen understanding of the role of women in conflict and in peace.