Convocation: Mel Duncan

In an age when unarmed civilians are apt to get caught in the crosshairs of conflict, Mel Duncan has a radical idea about who should stave off war's "collateral damage:" other unarmed civilians. Duncan's Nonviolent Peaceforce, founded in 2002, dispatches international teams of trained, unarmed peacekeepers to conflict zones where civil society has been caught in the crossfire. Unlike the blue-helmeted U.N. troops, these peacekeepers are immersed in local society to make connections and build trust. Their lack of weapons helps, too. "Peacekeeping isn't always most effective when it’s done at the end of a gun," says Duncan. Sometimes simply being a presence can provide protection. Often, serving as a conduit of nonpartisan information is key. Duncan’s peacekeepers go only where they've been invited by civil society groups, and where extensive analysis determines that their presence and limited resources can be effective. "No one can make anyone else’s peace for them," says Duncan. "[We] help create the space where local people can do their work and stay alive." The title of his presentation is "Nonviolent Peacekeeping: Hard Nosed Hope in a Tough World."