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

Introduction: Do mediators have a responsibility to solve the problem at hand? Silke Hansen of Community Relations Service recommends that mediators often play more of a facilitative role.

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

It Is Not Your Job To Solve The Problem
Silke Hansen
Senior Conciliation Specialist, Community Relations Service

Interviewed by
Julian Portilla
2003

Realizing it is not your job to solve the problem - it is your job to help the parties solve the problem, is a key piece. It is not your job to decide who is right or who is wrong. It is not your job to come up with the solution. It is your job to help the parties realize what they're real interests are and help them work out a solution. Inevitably when they start with the role play, they go and as an investigator. They try to sell solutions before they even understand what the issues and needs are. That is so important.

Violence just hurts those who are already hurt...Instead of exposing the brutality of the oppressor, it justifies it. -- Cesar Chavez

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

Asia-Pacific Area Network (APAN)

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Beyond Intractability

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Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Albert Schweitzer
Founder of Republique de Gabon, and 1952 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2007 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