Our world is at war, and it is not clear how to resolve its many conflicts. What should be done to stop people dying in the Darfur region of Sudan? What steps should be taken to resolve the India-Pakistan question of Nepal? How should Angola handle its overabundance of minefields? What might Spain do to address the Basque separatist group ETA, still listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations? How can Colombia successfully eliminate its problem with drug cartels, guerillas and paramilitary troops? And there’s always the Middle East.

If you have ready answers for these questions you’ve kept remarkably up-to-date on what’s happening in these world hotspots. But many of us couldn’t give an opinion on those issues because we don’t yet know what our opinion is! Sure, we might see or hear a news item about a conflict somewhere on the globe but we don’t know how it started, who the players are, and what might be done to stop it. Even worse, with such limited information we might support someone else’s ’wrong’ solution. No one seriously doubts that the world has grown smaller. War now comes into our living rooms as it is happening, catastrophes and other horrors anywhere in the world are part of our local news broadcast (as if they all happened in our town), and instantaneous email has enabled us to communicate with virtually anyone anywhere (and vice versa.) But has this flood of information helped us to deal with pressing problems around our world? Are we better able to voice our opinion to our representatives, support them in making the best policy decisions, and stop them from choosing the wrong ones?

The answer, unfortunately, is no. In fact, we often don’t know what our opinion is, leaving us fluttering first one way, then the other as we read one report in the newspaper or our favorite magazine and hear another on television. It was this problem that led to the development of the Peace in the Desert™ lecture series.

The Peace in the Desert™ series invites experts with practical experience in particular conflict areas to share their intimate knowledge. Such experts examine why the dispute arose, who the stakeholders in the quarrel are, and what might be done to resolve the dispute.

We’re not proposing to tell you what to think. Rather, we’re hoping to tell you what to think about. By having an expert lay out the basis of the conflict, suggest possible solutions and respond to challenging questions from the audience, we hope to help you develop your own view of the situation that is informed, rational, and sound.

Las Vegas citizens have demonstrated a strong interest in world conflicts and a powerful desire to learn more about them. The Peace in the Desert™ lecture series seeks to enhance the knowledge of the valley’s residents in that regard, so that they may better support or correct governmental officials who must determine American policy in our unsettled world.