Monday, March 17, 2008

The Middle East Peace Process: the case for jaw-jaw not war-war

In the Conflict Forum, here
"...Lessons for the Middle East.. from Northern Ireland are relatively simple. Dialogue can be entered into even during conflict. Exploratory dialogue can overcome the need for preconditions and can grindingly begin to reconcile the apparently irreconcilable, to seek out the eventual compromises upon which any long-term settlement must inevitably be built. Furthermore:
* Conflict and insurgency can be contained by military action, but it cannot be defeated by it;
* Negotiation towards a settlement of conflict nearly always needs to be preceded by informal dialogue;
* Exploratory, non-committal dialogue can often make more progress than seeking commitments;
* Undeliverable preconditions or deadlines are an end rather than beginning to dialogue;
* Exploratory dialogue should be as multilateral as possible to seek out potential areas of common ground;
* Low profile dialogue is more likely to succeed than that carried on in the spotlight of international publicity;
* It is a better use of your time to talk to your enemies than your friends..."

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