The other day I was presiding over some senior-level policy mediation roleplays at the Foreign Office. And I saw something interesting The roleplays featured three FCO officials. Two were playing the role of odious dishonest rival warlords scheming for advantage at a forthcoming peace conference after a ruinous civil war had wrecked their country. The third played an EU-style Ambassador who had been asked to help sort out various problems about the way the conference was being organised (nameplates, titles, … Continue to full article…
Category Archives: Neutrality
Lori’s post below prompted me to look back at an article I wrote for DIPLOMAT magazine back in 2012 about the history and subtlety of international mediation. Here it is. What I wrote then about neutrality in mediation – and the sacrifice it requires from a mediator (my added emphasis): One way to be a credible and efficient mediator is to appear unambiguously peaceful and reasonable, with no practical interest in the outcome. Norway has done well in recent years … Continue to full article…