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Introduction:
According to public policy mediator Frank Blechman, parties often wait until they
are entirely grid-locked before they call in a mediator for help.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
Obstacles for Intervenors
Frank Blechman
Private Consultant. Formerly at the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
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Q: What are the major obstacles to your work?
A: The nature of the complex public policy area that I practice in is that by time I get involved it
is pretty grid-locked and pretty messed up. People have been batting at it for a
while and they have driven themselves to grid-lock and that is the point where
they turn and say maybe we should get somebody who knows something about this or
could help us in some way. Often they have exhausted other experts, which is why
they turn to someone such as myself because they have exhausted the conventional
experts. Good news is that their expectations are fairly lowered already. The
bad new is they have genuinely created lots of obstacles for themselves. They
have dug themselves in deeply entrenched positions. They have already spent most
of the resources that they are going to need to solve the problem. The trust is
pretty low. Communication is pretty poor.
They have a pretty deeply grounded
belief that they know everything there is to know and what they know is bad. So
the notion that somehow there is something new to learn here; that belief is
pretty low. That's the biggest obstacle; is cynicism, lack of hope, lack of
belief that anything is possible. At the extreme end of that are the civil war
situations where people believe if I ever agree to anything I'll be murdered.
That's obviously sort of an impediment to settlement. But at the public policy level
within the United States it's the belief that even if something good were to be
found I am not sure I can sell it to my constituents, which is sort of the civil
equivalent of you'll be assassinated.
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| Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. -- Jonathan Kozol |
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Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict
FIRST Gateway to Development Information
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Beyond Intractability
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Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Cordell Hull
Prominent participant in the formation of the United Nations, and 1945 Nobel Peace Laureate |
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