Institutionalized Conflict Resolution: Have We Come to Expect Too Little?

Abstract

Two very different contexts of the conflict resolution field — hostage negotiation and court‐connected mediation — do share many similarities, particularly with regard to roles, responsibilities, and techniques. In both contexts, the emphasis is on the short‐term “fix”, or solution, rather than attention to the underlying reasons for a conflict and long‐term societal change. This emphasis, though perhaps changing in the international relations area, permeates much of the institutionalized conflict resolution field and bears further examination by practitioners and researchers.