MVZ493 Conflict management, mediation and peace building: an overview and the Israeli Arab case

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2016
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Maya Hadar (lecturer), PhDr. Pavel Pšeja, Ph.D. (deputy)
Maya Higgins, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 29. 3. 15:15–16:45 U33, Wed 30. 3. 17:00–18:30 P24, Thu 31. 3. 15:15–16:45 P21, Fri 1. 4. 9:45–11:15 U42
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/40, only registered: 0/40
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
International negotiation and mediation have become the most widely used means of conflict management in international affairs. Nowadays, negotiations of international significance are conducted not only between individual states, but also within and beyond them. At the same time, negotiation and mediation practices are undergoing much change with changing patterns of conflict and intervention, new actors and new emerging norms. This course provides an overview of mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution theories and practices of international importance – bilateral, regional and multilateral. Our goal is to survey the main theories that address possible ways to de-escalate conflicts. The emphasis is on different approaches/aspects to understanding what drives the mediation and negotiation processes and explains the variation in the outcomes. Why do some negotiations succeed, while others keep failing? Why do some peace settlements succeed while others fail? While we will give many examples from various civil and international conflicts, our main focus will be on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Syllabus
  • 1 Introduction; Mapping the Field of Mediation What do we mean by mediation? Is it practice art or science? What are the differences between structuralist and social-psychological approaches to mediation? Can these be integrated? Under what circumstances would you anticipate each of these approaches would be likely to succeed? Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009; Bat-Tal, 2000 2 Conditions for mediation success; Case: Camp David accords What constitutes mediation success? Was Camp David a success? What about Haig’s mediation activities over the Falkland-Malvinas islands? What accounts for the lack of successful mediation in Cyprus? What unanswered questions about mediation do these examples raise for you? Bercovitch and Jackson, 2009 (pp. 32-46); Telhami, 1999 Recommended reading: Quandt, 1986 3 When to Mediate? Waiting for the parties to ask for mediation or actively seeking their consent. Preventive Diplomacy and its application. The ripeness factor. Windows of opportunity. Zartman, 2001 Kleiboer, 1994 4 Conflict resolution and negotiation: an overview Kriesberg, 2007; Druckman, 2007 Recommended reading: Pruitt & Carnevale, 1993; Ramsbotham, Woodhouse & Miall, 2005 5 Direct vs Indirect Talks + Negotiations with Terrorists; Reconciliation and Peacebuilding; Summary and conclusion Direct v. indirect talks as mediation techniques. Informal meetings with the parties. Gaining the trust and/or respect of the parties. Avoiding developing partisanship towards the party ideologically or culturally closer to the mediator. Developing incentives and disincentives. Coordination with Development and Humanitarian agencies. Zartman + Faure (eds), 2011; Lederach, 1998 Bibliography Bercovitch, Jacob and Richard Jackson. 2009. Conflict Resolution in the 21st Century Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, pp. 1-16, 19-31, 47-60. Daniel Bar-Tal, 2000, “From Intractable Conflict through Conflict Resolution to Reconciliation: Psychological Analysis”, Political Psychology 21(2): 351-65. William Quandt, 1986, “Camp David and Peacemaking in the Middle East”, Political Science Quarterly 101(3): 357-77. Shibley Telhami, 1999, “From Camp David to Wye: Changing Assumptions in Arab-Israeli Negotiations”, Middle East Journal 53(3): 379-92. Zartman, I. William 2001. The Timing of Peace Initiatives: Hurting Stalemates and Ripe Moments, The Global Review of Ethnopolitics 1(1): 8-18. Kriesberg, L. (2007). The conflict resolution field: Origins, growth and differentiation. In I. W. Zartman (Ed.), Peacemaking in international conflict: Methods & techniques (pp. 25-60). Washington, DC: U.S. Institute of Peace Press. Ramsbotham, O., Woodhouse T., & Miall, H. (2005). Contemporary conflict resolution. Malden, MA: Polity Press (Ch. 2: Conflict resolution: Origins, foundations and development of the field, pp. 35-62). Druckman, D. (2007). Negotiating in the international context. In I. W. Zartman (Ed.), Peacemaking in international conflict: Methods & techniques (pp. 111-162). Washington, DC: U.S. Institute of Peace Press. Pruitt, D. G. & Carnevale, P. J. (1993). Negotiation in Social Conflict (Chapter 1: Introduction pp. 1-13 but read only 1-8 and Chapter 3: Strategies and tactics in negotiation, pp. 28-48). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Zartman, I. W. (2011). Engaging extremists: Trade-offs, timing, and diplomacy. US Institute of Peace Press. Lederach, J. P. (1998). Beyond violence: Building sustainable peace. In E. Weiner (ed.), The handbook of interethnic coexistence (pp. 236-245). New York: Continuum.
Assessment methods
Grades Grades will be based on the quality of a final paper (70%), discussion leading and seminar participation (30%). To get a good participation evaluation, it is not necessary to make many comments. Rare but thoughtful comments suffice. Presence is important, since it’s bulk course, a maximum of 1 missed class is tolerated. General notes This course is offered in English with all readings and discussions in this language. Don't worry if English is not your native language, as minor linguistic errors will not affect the assessment of your work. In addition, this is not a lecture but a seminar – your active participation in class is expected and particularly valued.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught only once.
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