Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict

Introduction: Pamela Aall, of the U.S. Institute of Peace, says she was surprised to learn that international mediators don't know each other or "talk shop" together.

This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).

The Lack of Networking Among Mediators
Pamela Aall
Director of the Education Program at the United States Institute of Peace

Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

The other thing that we found is that mediators don't necessarily meet each other. There is not a fraternity of mediators. They don't share those stories and they don't really have opportunities to learn from each other, unless they run into each other in some sort of place. There is a lot of assumptions we make about mediators which is that they know each other, that they trade stories about good trade craft, that they you know have all sort of read the same book. It is absolutely not true.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. -- Nelson Mandela

Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict

Alliance for Conflict Transformation

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

Interview With John Paul Lederach
One of the most captivating peacebuilders of our time talks about his work.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Lech Walesa
Trade union leader, and 1983 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2010 The Beyond Intractability Project
Beyond Intractability is a Registered Trademark of the University of Colorado
Project Acknowledgements

The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors
c/o Conflict Information Consortium (Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado
Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309
Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact