CRDC Hosts Dr. Louis Kriesberg "Obama, Conflict, and Mediating the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict"
Introduced by host Dr. Marc Gopin, Director of ICAR’s Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, as one of the founding fathers of the field of conflict resolution, Dr. Louis Kriesberg spoke about the Obama Administration's policies on the Middle East and efforts at mediation during a visit to ICAR on Friday, March 5th.
“The new administration has changed some direction and shied away from Bush’s failing policies in the Middle East,” he stated. However, he also noted that it is questionable whether or not President Obama’s speech in Cairo and his meeting with Jewish-American groups displays enough effort to make significant improvements in the relationship between Israel and Palestine. Dr. Kriesberg provided his audience with some food for thought when he stated, “A broader perspective is needed to reduce the asymmetry that currently exists. There has to be a better focus on social-emotional relationships between Israelis and Palestinians.” Kriesberg wants to focus on the positive things that exist in the region and commonalities between the people, much like his observations during peace talks in South Africa. “When I met with both white and black South Africans, they all loved to talk about how beautiful their country is.” This, coming from a country whose conflict some thought would never end.
Kriesberg enjoyed recounting anecdotes from his latest trip to the region, as well as reflecting on experiences where he encountered ordinary Palestinian people being humiliated while attempting to cross an Israeli checkpoint. He recalled that he sat back as he noted that older generations will swallow this humiliation, but this same humiliation by Israeli Defense Forces generates vast amounts of anger among younger Palestinians. “We must aim to get to a point where laws are enforced without being provocative,” he said, before going on to mention his thoughts on how human beings should be treated with respect and not be dehumanized and humiliated, creating even deeper divides across enemy lines.
The discussion turned to the importance of focusing on implementing real and lasting solutions for issues in the Middle East, rather than simply managing the conflict. Dr. Kriesberg pointed to the role that the international community, specifically Turkey and Egypt, could have on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Kriesberg commented that it is a shame that the Palestinian Authority was denied admission to the World Trade Organization. Had it been accepted into the WTO, there would have been a new level of interaction between Israeli and Palestinian people, an interaction that could have become part of a strong peacebuilding foundation.
Dr. Kriesberg implored audience members to “Learn from previous mistakes and keep trying different angles.” At one point during the discussion, modesty abounded, as Kriesberg sat back and joked that he doesn’t have all of the answers. Regardless of this, his intelligent mix of compassionate storytelling and penetrating insight into past and present conflicts highlighted the reasons why he has been, and always will be, an invaluable leader in the field. As such, Dr. Kriesberg is being featured in the Parents of the Field project (see article on page 3). Dr. Kriesberg's presentation will be available online on ICAR's website.