Research Digest Open Access

Considerable attention has been given to the study of what makes mediation work and how mediators can facilitate cooperation to build a diagnosis of what causes conflict in the first place. And although the mediation literature has not ignored the issue of trust, it has not yet come to a consensus on what makes a mediator successful in the general or specific case of trust building.

Andrew H. Kydd has developed a model of mediation in situations of mistrust where two sides must decide whether or not to cooperate with each other, each fearing the other side’s defection. This game was designed to help determine if and when the mediator will communicate honestly if he or she thinks the parties are untrustworthy. His model can also help shed light on third-party monitoring of peace agreements.

Kydd concludes that his model suggests that mediators should be unbiased to build trust and identifies which particular kind of neutrality is helpful (a clear preference for moderate outcomes) and which is harmful (indifference to the issue). He also emphasizes that building trust is only one of the tasks mediators undertake; they must have credibility in all the tasks they undertake when working to get two sides to cooperate.

Source: Kydd, A. H. 2006. When can mediators build trust? American Political Science Review 100: 449–462.

In this article, Kara Leitner and Simon Lester present a statistical analysis of World Trade Organization dispute settlement through an examination of complaints and decisions from 1995 through 2005. Included in their analysis is a look at the primary users of the dispute settlement system.

They find that there was a decline in the number of complaints filed but a rise in the number of reports issued and present three possible explanations for this result. They hypothesize that this could be because a decrease in complaints has yet to yield a decrease in reports because of the time it takes for reports to be produced, that members may be becoming “more judicious” about filing complaints, or that a surge in complaints under a particular article has kept the secretariat too busy to handle additional complaints.

Source: Leitner, K. and S. Lester. 2006. WTO dispute settlements from 1995 to 2005 — A statistical analysis. Journal of International Economic Law 9(1): 219–231.

This article introduces a recent issue of International Negotiation that focuses on coordination in conflict resolution. (Four of the articles from the issue are summarized below.) Susan Allen Nan and Andrea Strimling write that the articles in this issue add to the existing literature on coordination in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and peace building by addressing the theoretical and applied linkages between negotiation and coordination. They also apply negotiation theory to the analysis of the relationships of those involved in these activities.

The articles in this issue were authored by scholars and practitioners involved with the Alliance for Peacebuilding and indicate their recognition of the importance of coordination in achieving sustainable peace and security around the world.

Source: Nan, S. A. and A. Strimling. 2006. Coordination in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. International Negotiation 11: 1–6.

The coordination literature has not emphasized the relevance of negotiation in understanding coordination. In their analysis of the citizen-based peace movement in the Georgian–Abkhaz peace process, Paula Garb and Susan Allen Nan examine the relationships between coordination, negotiation, and coordination networks, and emphasize the importance of negotiation in understanding coordination.

Abkhaz and Georgian authorities have not settled their differences over the political status of Abkhazia and the return of Georgian refugees from Abkhazia and, as of the writing of this article, remain in a “frozen” conflict. But local and international peace builders have initiated a vibrant citizen-based peace process including grassroots and government officials by developing a coordination network through complex negotiations. This article describes the key principles of the negotiations, including a “win-win” integrative approach, which developed and maintained the coordination network.

Source: Garb, P. and S. A. Nan. 2006. Negotiating in coordination network of citizen peacebuilding initiatives in the Georgian–Abkhaz peace process. International Negotiation 11: 7–35.

The potential benefits to collaborating to promote negotiation and conflict resolution across international boundaries are obvious. But how do you deal with the difficulties that arise between diverse entities when attempting to work together to achieve a common goal?

Susan Hackley, Nancy Waters, and Sarah Woodside examine three innovative efforts initiated by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School to promote conflict resolution on an international scale by creating “communities of learning” and “common cultures.” These initiatives — an international online “e-Parliament,” a series of conferences and workshops on the Israeli Settlements issue, and a Mexican negotiation skills training program — seek to address social concerns that are deeply rooted in a particular place or context.

These projects are working to create an environment where parties learn from each other and address real-world concerns while building knowledge on how boundaries can be crossed to reduce conflict and achieve peace.

Source: Hackley, S., N. J. Waters, and S. Woodside. 2006. How creating “communities of learning” and “common cultures” fosters collaboration: The e-Parliament, the Israeli Settlements Project, and the Mexican Negotiation Skills Training Workshop. International Negotiation 11: 37–64.

Self-determination claims made by a minority group within a state can either be met peacefully through a negotiation process that produces “win-win” outcomes or coercively by refusing to acknowledge that the claims are legitimate. The latter response by the state often produces an escalation of the conflict. These intractable conflicts are rarely resolved on their own and require outside intervention.

Eileen Babbitt analyzes two self-determination claims (in Northern Ireland and Nagorno-Karabakh), focusing on the effectiveness of third-party interventions. She argues that the international community can design interventions that help minority groups and governments negotiate. A critical feature of these interventions is that they enhance an understanding of the dynamics that lead to violence and intractability. These two cases can serve as models for other intractable conflicts involving human-rights issues.

Source: Babbitt, E. F. 2006. Mediating rights-based conflicts: Making self-determination negotiable. International Negotiation 11: 185–208.

Although the world community has invested enormous resources for dealing with and studying deadly, deep-rooted conflicts between ethnic and identity groups, it has not been effective in preventing or resolving them.

In this article, Herbert Kelman urges the conflict-resolution community to explore the establishment of a large, well-endowed, international organization devoted to monitoring these conflicts, facilitating their prevention, and encouraging peaceful resolution. He proposes a preliminary model for such an institution. It would include a permanent staff, conflict specialists, and an international network of contacts. He also explores the institution’s functions and feasibility. Many questions are raised about how this would be done, but the author remains optimistic about the prospects. The careful collaborative research required to create such an institution can lead to the invention of a mechanism that addresses these issues in a creative, constructive, and responsible manner. So, why not get started?

Source: Kelman, H. C. 2006. The role of international facilitating service for conflict resolution. International Negotiation 11: 209–223.