Dartmouth Centers Forum

The Dartmouth Centers Forum (DCF) seeks to respond to growing political, ideological, social and intellectual dissonance in the academy and society. We hope to create an enabling environment for constructive thinking and open dialogue campus-wide about current issues of the day. Activities include faculty research and curricular enhancement seminars, public events, and facilitated student dialogues.

Each academic year the DCF chooses a theme upon which to base its programming. This year’s theme is Conflict and Reconciliation. The aim of this theme is to emphasize reconciliation as a method to resolve conflicts no matter what their causes. Learn more about the theme here and through the link in the sidebar.

Upcoming Events

The Dickey Center for International Understanding offers the following event in support of the DCF's theme.

Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes, "The Re-Talibanization of Afghanistan"

Special Advisor to US General Stanley McCrystal, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan
Founder of the Arghand Cooperative, maker of skin care products from botanicals produced in Khandahar, Afghanistan
Former reporter for National Public Radio

Monday, November 16, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall

Sarah Chayes has been living and working in Kandahar, Afghanistan since 2001, when she covered the fall of the Taliban for National Public Radio. In 2002 she decided to leave journalism to help rebuild the shattered country, whose fate will help determine the shape of the 21st century.

Currently she runs a cooperative in the former Taliban stronghold, producing fine skin-care products from local fruits, nuts, and botanicals (www.arghand.org). The aim is to discourage opium production by helping farmers earn a living from licit crops, as well as to encourage collective decision-making. From this position, deeply embedded in Kandahar’s everyday life, Ms. Chayes has gained unparalleled insights into a troubled region. Her book about Afghanistan since the Taliban is The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban (New York: Penguin, 2006).

Recent Events

Event	Description
	Listen to a discussion between Brian Kennedy, director of the Hood Museum of Art, and Felix de la Concha, the artist behind the current Hood exhibit "Private Portraits/Public Conversations".
	Watch Middle East consultant and presidential campaign advisor Gordon Zacks' lecture "In Defense of Israel's Right to Defend Itself: The Case for the Fence and Preemptive Actions". Hosted by the Rockefeller Center.
	Watch Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Government Sonu Bedi present "Rejecting Rights: Reframing the Debate". Hosted by the Rockefeller Center.