PILPG Update
13 July 2005
Successful Inaugural Law, Peace Negotiations & War Crimes Institute

Thank you to all those who participated in the inaugural Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) Law, Peace Negotiations & War Crimes Institute. Over the course of two intense days, 50 participants from five continents explored the intricacies of building a durable peace through war crime tribunals and effective peace negotiations. The Institute was such a success and generated a wait-list for attendance, prompting us to begin planning subsequent seminars. To receive more information on upcoming seminars, please visit http://www.pilpg.org/publications/events/institutes/.

Guest Speakers
Thursday afternoon, keynote speaker Ambassador David Scheffer spoke to this diverse group of professionals on American policy in Iraq, “The other U.S. Strategy on Iraqi Atrocity Crimes.” His experience as the U.S. Ambassador at-large for War Crimes Issues added to the depth of the conversation regarding alternative peaceful strategies to develop peaceful resolutions. Friday, Major General Bill Nash (Ret.) gave an invigorating keynote address based on his background in peacemaking operations for both the U.S. and the U.N. Maj. Gen. Nash spoke of the lessons he learned from his military experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina and experience as an international administrator in Kosovo.

War Crimes Seminar
As an exciting twist to the traditional seminars, the Institute couples the instructional sessions with experiential interactive exercises. In light of the developing international tribunals resulting from the war in Iraq, Professor Michael Scharf, one of the eminent scholars on international war crimes issues, reviewed the principals of the prosecution of war crimes. This lesson was based upon lessons learned from Nuremburg and his direct assistance to five recent war crimes tribunals and the judges for the Iraqi tribunal. As an application of this session, participants held a mock trial of Saddam Hussein to examine issues of genocide and the right of self-representation in a tribunal.

Law & Peace Negotiation Seminar
In keeping with PILPG’s extensive experience with peace negotiations, participants explored the complexity of peace building in Iraq and Sri Lanka, both areas in which PILPG currently serves in an active role. Professor Paul Williams, one of the leading post-conflict experts and peace negotiators, and Scott Lyons, the Institute Scholar, and Melanie Greenberg conducted courses on the legal counselor role in post-conflict development. The instructional seminar focused on the role of legal counsel in negotiations, how to manage "spoiler parties", and the mechanisms by which to create constitutional state structures.

As a parallel to current events, participants held a negotiation simulation on the Iraqi constitution. This highlighted the difficult task ahead for the parties and drew attention to likely points of impasse, thus fostering an understanding of the strategies and concepts of the Iraqi constitution drafting. In contrast to the complexities in Iraq, Melanie Greenberg led a simulation on a negation with the Tamil Tigers to get tsunami aid to LTTE controlled regions. Ms. Greenberg is former Director of Conflict Resolution for the Hewlett Foundation and a visiting scholar at SAIS.

Looking Towards the Next Institute
In light of the success of this Institute and the high demand among professionals world-wide to participate, PILPG is pleased to announce it is developing future seminars. It is our hope that the Institute shares our expertise with additional peace makers, builds a network of dedicated professionals, and increases the commitment and understanding to nonviolent conflict resolution.

Public International Law & Policy Group
Public International Law & Policy Group is the only global pro bono law firm that provides services to states and sub-state entities. PILPG has four practice groups:

• Peacebuilding,
• International Justice,
• Post-Conflict Political Development, and
• Public International Law.

PILPG maintains points of contact world-wide.