Diplomacy School Dean Dr. Andrea Bartoli attended a meeting recently in New York to discuss the Basque Peace and Coexistence plan and the future of Basque country.
Basque, located in northern Spain on the border with France, is working to improve its relations with the neighboring states with the help of Seton Hall University and Columbia University.
According to an article on the Seton Hall website, "The three political-administrative structures involved in the Basque country are the French State, le Pays Basque and within the Spanish State, the Basque Autonomous Community and the Autonomous Community of Navarra, it said. "These groups have had challenges harmonizing internal relations and a long history of force and violence as a tool to solve the problem."
"Seton Hall University has an agreement to collaborate with Columbia University and analyze, support and encourage this document," Bartoli said. The conference served "more to meet and exchange views with the president of the Basque country," Bartoli said.
The document "suggests ways to create conditions for sustainable peace." Bartoli and his colleagues, including the director of research projects for the Diplomacy School, Dr. Manojlovic, who specializes in conflict analysis and resolution, provided feedback on this plan.
The document's "steps forward" emphasize the importance of "bringing together various political traditions through a discursive and open process," meaning that it encourages dialogue with the Spanish government, according to the academic team's assessment. It is the "inclusive nature of the Basque peace process that makes it truly unique."
Kaitlin Stellingwerf can be reached at kaitlin.stellingwerf@student.shu.edu.
