Conflict Management Mediation in the Middle East - Case Study Example

Conflict Management –A Case Study of the Mediation in the Middle East Number Mediation in the Middle East For over 50 years, Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinian alike have been at war over land in the Mideast. Third party mediation as a method of conflict resolution within the Middle East has long been considered by its inhabitants as a program forced on them by the external and therefore not sensitive to native wants, political processes and problems. Introduction and Statement of Research Problem According to the theory of conflict management and resolution, third party mediation as a method of conflict resolution within the Middle East has long been considered by its inhabitants as a program forced on them by the external and therefore not sensitive to native wants, political processes and problems. Throughout history, mediation in the Middle East has been turbulent and mostly unsuccessful, with only one incidence of success in 1978 during the Camp David conclave under President Jimmy Carter. Democracy as an old political structure has been the basis or driving force for the upheavals, conflicts and spirit of liberation that has seen the region of Arab nations be the topic of many debates to date. There is a necessity to figure out the profound cultural, social, and religious roots that inspire the approach Arabs conduct themselves when it comes to conflict diminution and reconciliation. Thus, this paper discusses the socio-economic, anthropological, and cultural backgrounds of conflicts and how they are in the Middle East as well as the failing mediation approaches that are applied by Westerners. The paper also offers possible solutions to the issues behind the failing western efforts in conflict resolution in the Middle East. I. Historical Background of Mediation in the Middle East Since the 1950’s conflict resolution has become budding a field in international relations and international law. Its materialization as an interdisciplinary arena can be traced to the human dealings and intergroup relations activities which were subsequent to the Second World War. While conflict is a worldwide, human phenomenon, the environment of conflicts and the activities involved in managing and the resolving of conflict are different from one socio-cultural standpoint to another(Perkins, Ginat and Corr). Peace treaties grounded exclusively on financially viable and political enticements, intimidation or simply premeditated considerations cannot endure the test of time if they are not accompanied by an earnest, reflective examination of the core emotional legacies of grief, fear, extreme dislike, and mistrust consequential from years of rivalry and unrelenting cycles of persecution and retaliation(Perthes). To facilitate the peace process in the Middle East, policymakers ought to cultivate and support a channel of communication that takes into concern indigenous processes and rituals of resolution. There is a necessity to grasp the profound social, cultural, and religious roots that trigger the way Arabs conduct their negotiations when it comes to conflict diminution and resolution. Finally, there is the need to reflect on the implications of these issues and insights by practitioners and policymakers. II. Issues in Mediation in the Middle East For over 50 years, Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinian alike have been at war over land in the Mideast. The region in dispute has immense sacred meaning for Jews, Christians and Muslims. For Jews, it is the Promised Land that was sought by Moses the exodus from Egypt. For Muslims, it is the area at which the prophet Mohammed is alleged to have ascended into heaven. For Christians, it was the home of the son of God, Jesus Christ. At the heart of the problem is who has rights to the water in the area, land, and who controls Jerusalem which is the common holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims. The contested area has had no unmistakably definite, sovereign state government for nearly 1,900 years. Palestinians, also known as the Arab or the Muslim inhabitants, were the original inhabitants of the contested area, although ancient Hebrews also lived on the land, following the Roman devastation of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. up until roughly one hundred years ago(Irani). Additionally, Arabs refuse to acknowledge the Jews claims to the region citing the fact that it had been occupied by Palestinians for centuries. Subsequent to the first Arab-Israeli conflict in, Israels boundaries were positioned to incorporate regions planned for a Palestine nation whilst Jordan and Egypt incorporated the remaining areas in dispute. A number of Palestinians settled in the neighboring nations of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria but a greater number were adamant in not relocating and reamed within the new boundaries that was Israel. Policy makers ought to distinguish the two levels of the conflict: inter-state, Arab-Israeli conflict as well as intra-communal, disputes between Jews, Muslims and Christians (Nemir). III. Complicating factors affecting effective Mediation in the Middle East Western Approaches In modern Western contexts, it is assumed that conflict is mostly alleged as an indication of the call for change. The crucial Western conflict resolution theorists supposition in the mediation of conflicts is that conflict should and can be resolved wholly (Salem). This viewpoint goes against other cultural methods of conflict in the Middle East. Numerous conflicts, in spite of their character, may be intractable, and can develop through phases of disagreements and increase in conflict as well as phases of return to the status quo ante and calm. This is why it is imperative that conflict resolution theorists adopt the design of conflict resolution found in the Arab-Islamic customs in the processes of settlement, reconciliation and conflict control in the Arab-Islamic tradition. According to the western viewpoint, conflict is seen to arise from the lack of essential or vital needs such as shelter, clothing, food, self-esteem, education and self- actualization. These feelings, combined with the historical feelings of persecution, act as a fuel for conflict, eventually leading to war (Crocker, Hampson and Aall). As a concern to the issue of Arab-Israeli conflict, the foremost stride in the course of healing is the reciprocal acknowledgment and acceptance of the needs and viewpoints of all parties. Mediation as a skill used by Western practitioners cannot be applied properly without giving the cultural and historic accounts of conflict resolution in the region. IV. Possible Solutions Non- Western/ Islamic mediation: Social Setting in the Middle East The chief element in understanding political or social behavior in the Middle East has to begin with the acknowledgement of kinship systems. In the Middle East, the fundamental component of identification for an individual does not arise from the state, but rather from the family. Sociologically, the people inhabiting the Middle East are extremely attached to their kin-based collectiveness which performs most of the social-economic and political functions, until recently, in the absence of a centralized government. Family in the region is subjugated by the authoritative role patriarchy occupies in decision-making with the patriarchal authority maintaining the cohesiveness of both social and genealogy of the family. Furthermore, the fathers power in his family is a vital part of the more general authority system because he is seen to control and defend the relationships within the family as well as the relationships between families and these patriarchal heads in each family form the structure of an official congress or legislative council of the village. On the other hand, in countries within the Arabian Gulf, the communities are headed by the various sheikdoms which dominate the political body of the nations. These various customs and rituals play a significant role in individual actions, particularly in conflict management and conflict diminution and explain the reason why each party reacts at negotiations in the manner that they do(Nemir). In communally based societies such as those found in the Middle East, there lays a dilemma of applying Western ethics and modes of conflict resolution, due to the significantly intense views held by the communities toward patriarchy and religion. This problem is related to the Western implication that persons are bound together and to the state by an agreed-upon indivisible system of rights and duties, a fundamental realism that the general public in Arab states does not have (Irani). The rule of law has to tackle the insidious and influential effect of patronage and its powerful emphasis on lop-sided power relationships. Policy makers and mediators concerned with conflict management and reduction in non-Western societies have to explore the customs that enlighten them on individual and community behavior following a crime, conflict or any further prohibited activity or action. V. Recommendations Although the complicating factor of applying Western approaches in the mediation of conflicts within the Middle East, the problems could be solved if practitioners and theoreticians start to comprehend the significance of being insightful to native customs of feeling and thoughts, over and above indigenous rituals for dropping the cases of conflicts, in assessing the applicability of Western-influenced conflict management approaches in non-Western societies. To facilitate the peace process in the Middle East, policymakers ought to cultivate and support a channel of communication that takes into concern indigenous processes and rituals of resolution. One of the fundamental criticisms placed against Western conflict resolution and management methods is that they are founded on therapy-oriented formulas or too mechanistic. Although Western skills and techniques are pertinent and practical, they ought to be better tailored to native realities. VI. Anticipated outcomes a. The formation of special and better policies and mediation processes for conflicts that arise within the Middle East b. The reconciliation of the communities within the Middle East as well as the equitable sharing of land resources amongst the communities Works Cited Crocker, Chester A., Fen Olser Hampson and Pamela Aall. "Managing Global Chaos: Sources of and Responses to International Conflict." 1996. Irani, George E. "Islamic Mediation Techniques for Middle East Conflicts." Middle East Review of International Affairs (1999). Nemir, Mohammed Abu. "Conflict Resolution Approaches: Western and Middle Eastern Lessons and Posibilities ." The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (1996): 35-55. Perkins, Edward J., Joseph Ginat and Edwin G. Corr. "The Middle East Peace Process." Middle East Journal of International Affrairs MERIA (2002). Perthes, Volker. "Turkys Role in the Middle East: An outside perspective." Insight Turkey (2010): 1-8. Salem, Paul. Conflict Resolution in the Arab World. Lebanon: American University of Beirut, 1997. Read More