Arab Approaches to Conflict Resolution: Mediation, Negotiation and Settlement of Political Disputes2

333 Pages·2014·6.34 MB·English

by  Nahla Yassine-Hamdan

Arab Approaches to Conflict
Resolution
This book examines Arab approaches to mediation, negotiation and settle-
ment of political disputes.
This book proposes that two clusters of independent variables are
potentially responsible for the distinctive nature of Arab conflict resolu-
tion. First, there are those linked with Arab political regimes and impera-
tives, and, second, those linked with Arab and/or Islamic culture. The text
also focuses on the Arab League and its history of involvement in crisis
and conflict situations, along with the roles of individual leaders, emis-
saries and extra- regional actors such as IGOs (Inter- Governmental Organi-
zations) in undertaking mediation initiatives. IGO and Arab League
activity has taken on new importance since the various intervention
attempts in connection with the Arab Spring since 2011.
During the negotiation process, most Arab regimes tend to view conflicts
within a broad historical context, and Islamic culture prioritizes the cohe-
sion of the community and internal stability of the state over individual auto-
nomy. This has created an authoritarian style of leadership, and, in practice,
leaders in the Middle East have had near- absolute authority in the decision-
making process – a fact which will have a lot of weight in conflict manage-
ment and whether peace will endure for a long period of time.
This book is unique in studying these clusters through comparative sys-
tematic case- study analysis of events prior to and subsequent to the Arab
Spring, augmented by a quantitative analysis of sample data on Arab dis-
putes, compiled from a larger and newly augmented study comprising the
years 1945–2000. Complementary data from the Uppsala Conflict Data
Program’s (UCDP) database of armed conflicts since 1975 is also utilized.
This book will be of much interest to students of conflict resolution,
peace and conflict studies, Middle Eastern politics, and IR in general.
Nahla Yassine- Hamdan is on the adjunct faculty at Wayne State University,
Detroit, Michigan, USA, and has a Ph.D. in Political Science.
Frederic S. Pearson is Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies
and a Professor of Political Science at Wayne State University, USA.
Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution
Series Editors: Tom Woodhouse and Oliver Ramsbotham
University of Bradford
Peace and Security in the Postmodern World
The OSCE and conflict resolution
Dennis J. D. Sandole
Truth Recovery and Justice after Conflict
Managing violent pasts
Marie Breen Smyth
Peace in International Relations
Oliver P. Richmond
Social Capital and Peace- Building
Creating and resolving conflict with trust and social networks
Edited by Michaelene Cox
Business, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
Contributions from the private sector to address violent conflict
Derek Sweetman
Creativity and Conflict Resolution
Alternative pathways to peace
Tatsushi Arai
Climate Change and Armed Conflict
Hot and Cold Wars
James R. Lee
Transforming Violent Conflict
Radical disagreement, dialogue and survival
Oliver Ramsbotham
Governing Ethnic Conflict
Consociation, identity and the price of peace
Andrew Finlay
Political Discourse and Conflict Resolution
Debating peace in Northern Ireland
Edited by Katy Hayward and Catherine O’Donnell
Economic Assistance and Conflict Transformation
Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland
Sean Byrne
Liberal Peacebuilding and Global Governance
Beyond the metropolis
David Roberts
A Post- Liberal Peace
Oliver P. Richmond
Peace Research
Theory and practice
Peter Wallensteen
Reconciliation after Terrorism
Strategy, possibility or absurdity?
Judith Renner and Alexander Spencer
Post- War Security Transitions
Participatory peacebuilding after asymmetric conflicts
Edited by Veronique Dudouet, Hans Giessman and Katrin Planta
Rethinking Peacebuilding
The quest for just peace in the Middle East and the Western Balkans
Edited by Karin Aggestam and Annika Björkdahl
Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding
The continuing crisis in Darfur
Johan Brosché and Daniel Rothbart
Peacebuilding and NGOs
State–civil society interactions
Ryerson Christie
Peace Negotiations and Time
Deadline diplomacy in territorial disputes
Marco Pinfari
History Education and Post- Conflict Reconciliation
Reconsidering joint textbook projects
Edited by Karina V. Korostelina and Simone Lässig
Conflict Resolution and Human Needs
Linking theory and practice
Edited by Kevin Avruch and Christopher Mitchell
Human Rights Education and Peacebuilding
A comparative study
Tracey Holland and J. Paul Martin
Post- Conflict Studies
An interdisciplinary approach
Edited by Chip Gagnon and Keith Brown
Arab Approaches to Conflict Resolution
Mediation, negotiation and settlement of political disputes
Nahla Yassine- Hamdan and Frederic S. Pearson
Arab Approaches to Conflict
Resolution
Mediation, negotiation and settlement of
political disputes
Nahla Yassine- Hamdan and
Frederic S. Pearson
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2014
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Nahla Yassine- Hamdan and Frederic S. Pearson
The right of Nahla Yassine- Hamdan and Frederic S. Pearson to be
identified as author of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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British Library Cataloguing- in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Hamdan, Nahlah Yasin.
Arab approaches to conflict resolution : mediation, negotiation and
settlement of political disputes / Nahla Hamdan, Frederic Pearson.
pages cm – (Routledge studies in peace and conflict resolution)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Conflict management–Arab countries. 2. Mediation–Arab
countries. 3. Decision making–Arab countries. 4. Foreign
relations–Arab countries. 5. Arab countries–Politics and
government. I. Pearson, Frederic S. II. Title.
HN766.A8H2943 2014
303.6'909174927–dc23 2014003031
ISBN: 978-0-415-81744-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-58422-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Baskerville
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
To Jacob Bercovitch, who dedicated his life to peace research. His peace-
ful memory will remain alive for ever.
From Nahla: to my beloved and deceased sister, Sana Yassine, and my
mother, Zeinab Yassine (may their souls rest in heaven). Also, to the joy of
life, my daughter Sana Hamdan, carrying on the journey of a promising
generation of peace- loving people.
From Frederic: to the multitude of people who have died, including Dr
Hamdan’s father (in Lebanon), in or as a result of Middle East regional
wars, often in situations that could have been far better resolved by negoti-
ated outcomes.
To all the regional and international forces that sought peace, justice
and equality to make this world a safer place. Meaningful negotiations and
incremental trust- building are the only option in a region and among
peoples increasingly challenged by lethal and mass- destructive weapons
and harsh and unforgiving doctrines.
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Contents
List of figures xii
List of tables xiii
Acknowledgments xiv
1 Introduction: settlement of disputes – history and the Arab
context 1
Patterns of conflict management in the Arab world 4
Islam and conflict management 10
Conclusion 16
2 Context of conflict management in the Arab world 19
Relevant negotiation and mediation findings 19
Regime types 24
Role of the mediator 29
The role of power balance 33
The role of religion and ideology 36
Addressing the roots of conflict 38
Conclusion: identifying key factors for successful negotiation/
mediation 40
3 Arab culture and conflict management 43
The relevance of Arab culture 44
Group identity and cultural stereotypes 58
Relation of culture to negotiation 62
Arab/Islamic non- Arab culture as context 74
Conclusion 78
4 Characteristics of conflicts, parties and conflict
management 81
Characteristics of Arab disputes 84
Patterns of conflict management 90