By Scott C. Van Soye “Blessed are the peacemakers.” We value peacemakers. We may even aspire to be among them. But often we have no firm conception of what it means to “make peace.” Does it mean to cause the cessation of conflict, by whatever means? Or does it refer only to non-violent efforts to …
By Doug Noll I use the term peacemaking to describe the values and processes involved in transforming difficult and intractable conflicts. Peacemaking encompasses mediation; however, mediation, especially mediation of litigated disputes, does not necessarily include peacemaking. Knowing the difference is useful because it can influence the processes and interventions used by mediators. Ten Principles of …
By Mai Nguyen The American Bar Association (ABA) conducts extensive survey on legal malpractice claims every four years. The survey concludes that every practicing lawyer is potentially at risk for legal malpractice. It was once believed that solo practitioners were at the highest risk, however, research has found that lawyers at small, medium, and large …
by Mikita Weaver I recently visited the Peace Palace in The Hague. The structure and layout of the building is a testament to its unique purpose. Andrew Carnegie contributed the funds to build the palace under two conditions: that it contain the largest international law library in the world, and that each member country contribute …
By Mikita Weaver In 2010, Uganda was usurped in a conflict regarding anti-homosexual legislation and a clause mandating the death penalty. Rwanda contemplated criminalizing homosexuality until rapid-fire global campaign spread via internet forcing Paul Kagame’s government to announce that they would not be intervening in the private lives of its citizens. Today, Malawi faces the …
Peacebuilding is strategic, elusive, complex, and predicated on hope. Hope that a collaborative pursuit of common interests will afford a better future for our children. This is nowhere more evident than in the emerging work of faith-based diplomacy. Track two diplomacy is proving to be the sophisticated, cutting-edge, 21st century transactional diplomatic process among state …
By Mikita Weaver, Esq, MDR When sitting around the mediation table, sometimes it pays to be intentional about your choice of drink. It may be a source of comfort for the parties. It may bring calm. It may bring peace between the parties if only for a moment and possibly create a space for resolution. …
By Jasper Ozbirn Religion is, and according to recorded history always has been, a major source of conflict between groups of peoples. This article addresses what the writer perceives to be a pervasive root of conflict at the basic level between believers— “who has the “right” God?” As found by a recent BBC Poll, over …
By Jasper Ozbirn Some people talk a lot. Others talk very little. You don’t have to ask someone that talks a lot a question in order to get them to talk. In fact, for some, all you have to do is walk within earshot. What many talkers don’t seem to know is that non-talkers can …
By Ali Arif Introduction The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is one of the longest running disputes in modern history. It is a very complex issue which can be traced back to ancient times. The issue can be analyzed from a geopolitical, religious, cultural, military, diplomatic as well as countless other angles. However, this paper will focus on …