CONFESSIONS OF A CIVILIAN VOLUNTEER WITH THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
Finding Strategic Solutions to Resolve Real World Conflicts
At the Center for Conflict Resolution Strategies, we offer comprehensive research and analytical services to identify and create viable, implementable strategies to resolve real-world conflicts, issues, and problems.
Our comprehensive, detailed resolution strategies are presented in what we call "Blueprints," that can then be used by supporting experts to create the "detailed drawings" to marshal the necessary personnel and resources to effectively implement the resolution strategy. Learn more about our projects below.
About Us
CCRS's mission is to analyze real world conflicts, crisis, and problems and develop fact-based, viable and implementable resolution strategies. We perform comprehensive historical research to identify and analyze the genesis of a conflict, the events and people causing its growth and expansion, and the related issues to be strategically addressed for its present-day resolution. Resolution strategies are presented in the form of two-part "Blueprints."
Part One sets forth the historical and current facts of the conflict, which leads to identification of related issues/problems to be addressed to achieve a resolution. Part Two sets forth the governing principles and key facts that reveal and support the Blueprint for a viable, implementable strategy for resolution, followed by the Blueprint.
Our Approach
Conflicts are never static and usually are highly dynamic. Thus, CCRS Blueprints are intended to be "living documents," to be amended and updated to account for new information and real-time altering developments to remain viable and implementable. We invite constructive comments and critique.
All to often problem-solving is approached with resolution parameters already established based on any number of factors, including biases, and/or prejudices. We take a "blank slate," open-minded approach to analyzing conflicts. We review and analyze all available facts, including previously proposed resolution strategies/recommendations and why they failed.
Conflicts are people problems. Therefore, in creating a viable resolution strategy, we identify the persons, governments, and organizations needed to adopt the Blueprint and create the "detailed drawings" for its implementation.
Projects
Current Project
Blueprint for an Imposed Peace to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
CCRS was established following the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel by Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls Gaza. The initial project was to analyze why did Israel's response to the horrific events of October 7 trigger pro-Palestinian/anti-Israeli demonstrations demanding a ceasefire, none of which occurred during the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in July 2014. What had changed? Answering this question required researching the 75-year history of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. During the course of the research, one fact became abundantly clear - war followed by a ceasefire only leads to another war and another ceasefire and another war and another ceasefire and more of the same. The current Israeli-Hamas war was and is a predictable continuation of the cycle of increasing violence that defines the 75-year history of the Conflict and that another ceasefire simply continues the cycle. While the initial focus of this project is important to complete, particularly given the escalation of the demonstrations to "pro-Hamas" and calling for Israel's destruction and revealing of the depth and teaching of antisemitism and antisemitic activity on America's college campuses, a related, but higher-priority project was identified. The history of the Conflict shows that the current plight of the Palestinians in Gaza is a direct result of the failure of world leaders to come together independently or through the UN, to take action to stop Hamas and other terrorist organizations from weaving themselves into the fabric of the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza. This failure allowed Hamas to take total control of every aspect of the Palestinian peoples’ lives, and their deaths, in Gaza for the past 18 years. But on October 7, Hamas crossed a line for which there is no forgiveness and no return to the status quo cycle of violence. The irony of Hamas' attack is that it not only showed that Hamas must be eliminated, with the attendant cost of Israeli and Palestinian lives required to do so, but it also brought the Conflict to a point, for the first time in 75-years, that it can be resolved. With that realization, the focus of this project morphed into creating a Blueprint for imposing peace to end the Conflict. With Hamas' elimination as the controlling force in Gaza, Israel, allied with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Morocco, the EU, and the US do not need to negotiate peace, but can jointly act to impose peace and begin to implement that peace immediately. The "Blueprint for an Imposed Peace to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" sets forth a comprehensive chronological history of the Conflict in Part One, found below, and the governing principals underlying and the Blueprint itself are in Part Two, found below. The cornerstones of the Blueprint are the Arab/Israeli/EU/US Alliance that makes up the members of the Governing Council, which will act to form a new Palestinian state to be placed in Trust administered by designated Trustees under the direction of the Governing Council. The Trust will exist until such time as the Governing Council determines that the citizens of the new Palestinian state have achieved certain benchmarks showing that they are ready and able to assume self-governance, under the ongoing protection of the Alliance. Palestinians have their country and Israel has its security, and the world is shown how to remove an embedded Iranian-supported terrorist organization.
Blog
Our Founder
Richard J. Annen
Richard J. Annen is the Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution Strategies (CCRS) located in San Diego, California. Prior to establishing CCRS, Mr. Annen was a board-certified in trial advocacy and civil litigation, with over 40 years of experience as a trial attorney specializing in business and commercial litigation, appellate advocacy, and all forms of alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Annen received his Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Notre Dame.
Internships
Are you passionate about finding solutions to real-world problems? We are looking for qualified individuals to become part of a Project Team to participate in the research and drafting of Blueprints. In addition to our pending Projects, we are open to exploring new projects that match your passion.
Get in Touch
We want to hear from you. Use our Blog to comment on specific project Blueprints. We invite constructive comments and critique.
Is there a conflict, issue, or problem that you, your organization, or government needs a resolution strategy? We work independently or in conjunction with and support of internal project teams.
Richard Annen, Director of CCRS
619-318-4958