The Limits of Track II Diplomacy: Early Lessons from the Geneva Initiative

Event Date: Wednesday May 19, 2004
Time: DRF: 8:30-10:00am (Continental Breakfast at 8:00) Peervision Case Conference: 10:15-11:30am
Location: Pound 335, Harvard Law School

Presenter:
Brian S. Mandell

In his presentation, The Limits of Track II Diplomacy: Early Lessons from the Geneva Initiative, Brian Mandell will examine the effectiveness of Track II initiatives. In December 2003, a group of prominent Israelis and Palestinians signed the Geneva Accord, a peace initiative that was negotiated in secret for more than two years despite ongoing violence on both sides. Official responses to the initiative have been mixed. Are Track II initiatives helpful or counterproductive, especially when compared to recent efforts at the official Track I level of Middle East diplomacy?

Brian S. Mandell is lecturer in Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government and chair of the School’s Negotiation Project. His current teaching and research address the theory and practice of negotiation, emphasizing third-party facilitation and consensus building in domestic and international protracted policy disputes. He writes about contentious disputes and is completing a book on scenario planning for conflict managers and negotiation practitioners.

Following Brian Mandell’s talk is a Peervision case, “Dance for the Dollars,” presented by James McGuire. His discussion will address what techniques are most effective in helping parties bridge the gap when all that is left to negotiate in a settlement is payment amount. He will also discuss how active a mediator should be in crafting the structure of settlement offers.

James E. McGuire, Esq., a dispute resolution professional since 1989, has extensive experience in all aspects of ADR including mediation and arbitration. He has served as a special master and neutral evaluator. Jim was an adjunct professor at Northeastern University School of Law and is a Lecturer at BU School of Law. He is presently with JAMS in Boston.

Please RSVP to Kim Wright, klwright@law.harvard.edu, or by fax to (617) 495-7818.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *