Centro Studi Difesa Civile (CSDC) - 
Civilian Defence 
Research Center

The CDSC was founded in 1988 and has since then contributed to the development of social research on peace and security issues in Italy.

Since the year 2000, CSDC members formed a cooperative enterprise, called Mediazioni, to deal with operational, administrative and organisational aspects of training and communication activities.

CSDC adhere to:

- the Italian network Associazione per la Pace (Peace Association);
- the European Network for Civil Peace Services (EN.CPS);
- the International NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce.

Vision and Mission

Conflict is a natural and unavoidable aspect of human existence. The way in which we manage personal and social conflicts influence chances to accomplish a balanced and open society. The responsibility to control violence is up to State-directed armed forces. The transformation of violence, the research for less destructive defence methods and the effective reduction of conflicts negative effects is up to the responsibility of society. Social cohesion doesn’t only come from declared goals, it depends mainly on the quality of its glue – interpersonal relations. A mature and safe society should:

- face and resolve daily conflicts constructively;

- use appropriate instruments for dialogue, defence of civil rights, civil protection and humanitarian aid, also in other countries.

CSDC mission is the spreading of constructive conflict management tools to overcome intra and inter state tensions. CSDC operates in the fields of research and training to promote collaborations at a national and international level. Principal aims of the CSDC are:

§ to promote non armed civilian defence (or nonviolent popular defence);

§ to analyse the transition from armed to non armed defence;

§ to promote the research concerning nonviolent conflict management;

§ to develop historical researches on non armed cases of Resistance.

The CDSC working method is inspired by Gandhi’s principle that a seed is equivalent to a tree.