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A commitment to reconciling conflicts before they escalate into war has The Carter Center of Emory University's (CCEU's) Conflict Resolution Program involved in efforts to decrease tensions among ethnic groups in the former Soviet Union.

An April workshop in Estonia was the first step in the program's Baltics project, which has helped begin a dialogue among three groups: ethnic Estonians, Russians living in Estonia, and Russians from Moscow. Joyce Neu, acting director of the Conflict Resolution Program, was part of the facilitation team led by Vamik Volkan and Hal Saunders, who serve as advisers for CCEU's International Negotiation Network (INN). The INN offers advice and assistance to help resolve disputes.

"Estonia's ethnic tensions stem from issues of citizenship that arose from the breakup of the former Soviet Union," Dr. Neu said. "Before independence, Estonia was occupied by Russia for 50 years, and one-third of its 1.5-million population is Russian. Estonians are anxious to restore their culture, and they fear the Russian population may regain control of the country if they acquire citizenship and, therefore, the right to vote."

As the minority, Russians in Estonia also feel threatened. According to Dr. Neu, "They oppose new regulations such as the Citizenship Law, which requires living in Estonia for three years and passing an Estonian language exam to establish citizenship. Land ownership and the right to vote are contingent on being citizens. Russians in Estonia also feel no sense of protection from Russians in Moscow, the former seat of power of the Soviet Union."

Despite their differences, the groups are talking and plan to meet again this fall. "The approach to conflict prevention in these workshops is derived from the work done by Drs. Vamik and Saunders on the psychopolitical aspects of conflict, in which parties engage in confidential, off-the-record talks directly with their opponents," Dr. Neu said. "These workshops often provide the first opportunity for parties in conflict to speak directly to each other in a nonthreatening, unofficial capacity."

The three-year series of workshops is funded by a $1 million grant made to CCEU by The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for collaborative projects in human rights, Latin American and Caribbean affairs, African governance, and conflict resolution.