Transnational conflict resolution practice: A brief introduction to the context, issues, and search for best practice in exporting conflict resolution

Abstract

This article introduces three other articles on transnational conjict resolution practice. Many North American practitioners are "exporting conjict resolution, '' applying their domestic experience and North American conflict-handling models and concepts in other societies and cultures. This practice raises a number of issues, including the cultural appropriateness and tranrferability of the models and the ability of the society to integrate new conjict-handling mechanisms or build conjicthandling capacip This article describes the kinds of work that various practitioners are conducting abroad and the context in which they are operating. It examines whether some of the models are replicable and suggests that the underlying concepts are of2en transferable but that the ultimate form or structure depends on the speczjic cultural context. It concludes that the primary challenge of transnational conjict resolution practice is conceptual transferability and that any emergingguidelines, protocolr, or best practices are use&l if they aid the recipient society: eforts to structurally adapt the conflict-handling model. en the Iron Curtain fell, bringing an end to the Cold War, mem-w bers of the North American conflict resolution community, both practitioners and theorists, turned toward transnational practice. We flocked to the emerging democracies of Central Europe, Russia, and Central Asia to help build democratic institutions. We rushed into Latin America and the Caribbean to teach people in other countries

Coalition Politics Among Opposition Parties In Malaysia: A Case Study Of Pakatan Rakyat (2008-2016)

“…A coalition is a temporary alliance or partnering of groups in order to achieve a common purpose or to engage in joint activity [27].…”

Escape from the Laboratory: Ethnographic Methods in the Study of Elder and Family Court Mediation

“…He wanted to add mediation to a “legal challenge” program funded to uphold the rights of older adults in Ghana. As he explained, however, most rights violations happened within families and the use of court process and lawsuits would be, “quite alien to the family system.” As a “parachute consultant” (Yarn : 303), I used a common, interest‐based, problem‐solving mediation model for training the “team,” which comprised volunteers and staff chosen by the elder advocacy organization. Because mediation is already part of everyday cultural practice in Ghana, I spent time during the training comparing the model I brought with the lived practices of trainees through observing their mediation of mock cases and debriefing.…”