The Future Of Conflict Resolution: Preaching To The Choir Or Negotiating With Tea Partiers? (11/09/09)
Diane J. Levin
I often find myself wishing I lived in California, if only to be able to regularly attend the magnificent events the Southern California Mediation Association plans and presents each year. These programs showcase the talents and intellectual achievements of some of the greatest thinkers and leaders that the field of conflict resolution can boast.

Good Job Ari! (11/09/09)
Jeff Thompson
Honorable Mention was awarded to Ari Fontecchio of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law for his essay entitled “Naming, Framing and Taming: Why Timing and Emotional Intelligence Really Matter in Crisis Intervention. Ari interviewed me months ago on how I, along with the entire NYPD Community Affairs Bureau, used various conflict resolution skills during the emotionallly charged Tibetan Protests in New York City during the Spring of 2008.

Conflict Revolution: Mediating Evil, War, Injustice And Terrorism By Dr. Kenneth Cloke (11/09/09)
Victoria Pynchon
I spent my day Saturday at the annual convention of the Southern California Mediation Association (kudos to attorney-mediator Phyllis Pollack for a fabulous conference!) Ken Cloke spoke eloquently on conflict systems and what mediators can do to "save the planet." I took his presentation (characteristically and densely verbal) and added images to break up the text hoping that Ken won't mind supplementing the English language with pictures).

Susan Collin Marks Of Search For Common Ground: Media & Peace (11/02/09)
John Folk-Williams
Susan Collin Marks is the Senior Vice President of Search for Common Ground (SFCG). In this interview with the European Journalism Centre, she describes some of the goals of SFCG and specific projects involving popular media to reach millions of people in war-torn countries.

Guest Blogger 09- Noam Ebner On The Second Generation Negotiation Conference (10/26/09)
Jeff Thompson
It’s not every day that you get to see a discipline in motion. Changes in the way that academics and professional practitioners grasp themselves and what they do are usually minor and incremental; by the time major change has evolved, many of the original instigators are no longer around to enjoy it. Watching a field collectively consider itself and begin to move, therefore, is like observing a rare natural occurrence, Or, perhaps, like being on a glacier as it shifts. You feel very fortunate to have been there to see it, and you wonder where you are now and how you make your way home. These were some of the thoughts I had while attending the Second Generation Negotiation conference which took place on October 14-17, 2009 in Istanbul. To understand just what this special conference was about, one needs to put it in the context of the project surrounding it.

Mediation And International Diplomacy (9/21/09)
Michael P. Carbone
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that “The United States’ top Mideast envoy [former Senator George Mitchell] failed to bridge wide gaps between Israelis and Palestinians as he ended his most intensive attempt yet on Friday, raising questions about President Obama’s efforts to revive peacemaking.”

WIPO Opening Arbitration and Mediation Center in Singapore (9/08/09)
Keith Seat

The World Intellectual Property Organization is opening its first arbitration and mediation center outside its Geneva headquarters, with a new Singapore office opening in January to serve the Asia-Pacific region. WIPO administers mediations relating to patent, trademark and copyright issues, as well as telecommunications, engineering and domain name disputes. The Singapore WIPO office will also collaborate with Singapore’s Media Development Authority to address film related disputes, along with providing training and advice on mediation and arbitration.

Bernama.com (July 28, 2009)

Ambassador John McDonald Wins Peace Award (9/03/09)
ACR
Ambassador John McDonald has won the ACR Peacemaker Award for his international peace advocacy and lifelong commitment to fostering conflict resolution.

Dialogue For A World Without Killing (8/24/09)
John Folk-Williams
Thanks to Victoria Pynchon at Settle It Now-Negotiation Blog for her recent post on the Khmer Rouge Genocide Trials in Cambodia. She reprints an extraordinary letter from David Blackman, a California ADR attorney who has volunteered his services to represent the victims of the atrocities committed under the reign of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. For the first time in any genocide trial, as he points out, civil party victims have been taking part in every stage of the criminal proceedings. Please read Blackman’s account and follow the links for further information.

Letter From Cambodia: American Cambodians For Justice (8/17/09)
Victoria Pynchon
My name is David Blackman and I am a trial lawyer who practiced in Sacramento, California, for approximately 32 years before coming to Cambodia, where I have made my home for the last three years. I have been a member of the California Bar Association since 1972. I have formed an organization called American Cambodians for Justice. This organization represents American Khmers who were victims of the Khmer Rouge and who immigrated to the US in the early 80’s after the defeat of the Khmer Rouge by invading Vietnamese forces accompanied by Cambodians who fled to Vietnam to escape the purges of the Khmer Rouge during their reign of terror.

A Peaceful Argentinean Leader Died – Raul Alfonsin (7/13/09)
Rene Llapur
Argentina mourns a political leader called Raul Alfonsin in these days. More than one hundred thousand people gave they farewell to their former politician guide in the Buenos Aires streets. This unusual reaction was atypical for the last 35 years, when Juan Domingo Peron, a former and charismatic president had died.

And Now A Word From Mediators Beyond Borders On Climate Change (7/06/09)
Victoria Pynchon
In December 2009, delegates from around the world will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark for the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Copenhagen will provide a critical opportunity for the world’s nations to reach a comprehensive agreement before the commitments set out in the Kyoto Protocol expire in 2012.

Negotiators And Snipers: On Strategies For Managing Piracy On The High Seas---And Elsewhere (5/13/09)
Robert Benjamin
Few international incidents end with the successful finality and clarity as did the rescue of the Maerske ship Captain, Richard Phillips, from the clutches of Somali pirates in mid April. Three clean kill shots by U.S.Navy snipers settled the stand-off. Most people in the Western world felt relieved and good about the outcome. Maybe assassination was warranted. Clearly, piracy cannot be tolerated. However, the pursuit of both negotiation and assassination strategies at the same time is troublesome and may be costly in the longer term. If negotiation appears to be merely a pretext for snipers' to act, then will the trust essential for successful negotiations be lost in future negotiations?

Real World Interest Based Example — Sinai (5/11/09)
Joshua N. Weiss
In this podcast Josh begins a series of real world interest based examples. The focus is on the negotiation between Egypt and Israel over the Sinai Peninsula.

Negotiating Justice: A Guide For Mediators (4/27/09)
Jeff Thompson
This gem of a guide/report is written by Priscilla Hayner, Director of the ICTJ Program on Peace and Justice and part of the HD Centre's "Negotiating Justice: Strategies for tackling isues in peace processes".

The Brave New World Of Disputes (4/27/09)
Jeff Thompson
A recent article written in the National Law Journal by Ian Meredith, Laura Atherton and Marcus M. Birch gives us a glance at potential massive disputes that will arise in the next two decades. The top three areas of possible conflict stem from the analysis of the National Intelligence Council's 2008 report, "2025 Global Trends: A Transformed World.

One Word (4/13/09)
Phyllis Pollack
Last week, there was a pretty important mediation. It involved a lot of parties - 20 to be exact - on a very important issue- the global economy. It took place in London and was co-mediated. The primary mediator - Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain- seemed to be doing a good job - moving all of the parties forward toward a resolution.

Negotiating Reconciliation, Amends And Forgiveness in Burundi (4/13/09)
Victoria Pynchon
Whenever I read about restorative justice (my paper on the topic here) I am somewhat ashamed that I cannot put aside my own grievances when others resolve harms of such major magnitudes such as the murder of children and genocide. I am reminded of this today because of Paul and Rebecca Mosley's blog on the work they are doing in Burundi.

International Mediation Developments (4/01/09)
Keith Seat

• Indian Supreme Court Justice urges greater use of mediation to benefit both parties and overburdened court system, Calcutta Telegraph (January 3, 2009)
• Mediation and Conciliation Centre opened in Kottayam, India; Chief Judge urges alternatives to litigation, Hindu (January 12, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• China establishes mediation desk to address intellectual property rights at large IT and telecom trade fair in Europe, People's Daily Online (March 4, 2009)
• Chinese city of Tainjin begins mandatory mediation for medical disputes, China Business Newswire (January 20, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• Singapore police gain power to refer squabbling parties to a community mediation center, Today Online (February 14, 2009)
• Singapore Ministry of Health and Singapore Mediation Centre have a year’s experience with mediation program addressing health care disputes, Straits Times (January 28, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• National University of Singapore wins 4th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition, Finchannel (February 24, 2009)
• Malaysian court recommends mediation for jilted businessman’s claims against fiancée, Malaysia Star (February 17, 2009)
• Australian government urged to allow use of independent mediators and arbitrators in employer-union disputes, The Australian(January 9, 2009)
• Popularity of mediation in Australia results in fewer opportunities for lawyers to gain courtroom advocacy skills, Courier Mail (January 17, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration urging mediation rather than protests after injuries from gas leaks, Taipei Times (January 20, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• Angola approves statute of the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of Africa to support mediation institutions and human rights, Angola Press (January 15, 2008)
• Mediation has gained popularity and acceptance in recent years within Ghana, All Africa (February 20, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• Mediation service for gang members being opened in London, England, based on success in West Midlands, PA News (January 21, 2009) (Subscription Required)
• Proposal would eliminate fee charged solicitors for mediation in effort to encourage quicker resolution of matters brought to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, Scotsman (January 19, 2009) (Subscription Required)

Peace is Nonpartisan (3/30/09)
Kevin Forrester
Didn’t the party of peace win this election cycle? No, the party of peace didn’t win this election cycle. There is no party of peace.

Can Mediation Evolve into a Global Profession? (3/24/09)

Mediation is an organism that thrives in particular niche ecosystems like the UK, Australia, and North America. The question is whether it can thrive in other locations, and whether it can be used to resolve cross-border disputes. Anyone who has experienced mediation will understand its potential to grow and flourish as a critical part of a globally inter-connected economy, but it would be folly to ignore the challenges in breaking out of a local niche practice.

Ethnic And National Reconciliation (3/09/09)
Larry Susskind
I can remember a moment when it seemed impossible that certain groups or nations could ever reconcile: East and West Germany, North and South Vietnam, North Ireland and England, black and white South Africa, Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda. Today, it seems equally implausible that North and South Korea, Tibet and China, Israel and Palestine, or Suni and Shia in Iraq will ever reconcile. Yet, we should remember that the ruined relationships that seemed impossible to repair not so long ago were dramatically transformed. The question is, "How did that happen?"

Is Civil War Better than Negotiation? (3/03/09)
Jeff Thompson
A nice sensational style way to start today's blog, eh? Well, this quote is from the International Herald Tribune's Bennett Ramberg. His piece is titled "Fight to the End" and it refers to how over history, in civil wars, actual fighting which results in one side clearly defeating the other is more sustaining that negotiating a truce.

Letter To President Obama (3/02/09)
Kenneth Cloke
Thank you. As conflict resolution professionals, practitioners and scholars, we have noticed and profoundly appreciate your efforts to change the process and tone of how differences are managed, both in Washington and around the world. We value your experience, understanding and commitment to conflict resolution, and offer our full support to you and your administration in your efforts to promote peace, collaboration, and consensus in domestic and international relations.

Mediation And Moral Imperative (3/02/09)
Merri L. Hanson
On October 21, 2008 I read a curious Reuters headline that stated “Taliban Seeking Mediator.” Immediately I puzzled over why the Taliban would want one of us...a peacemaker, a harmonizer, an ethical do-gooder. Since then I have pondered these thoughts and the moral underpinnings they belie.