"What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].…

Is It Right To Ever Negotiate With Terrorists?

The White House recently negotiated the release of the Sgt. Bergdahl, a U.S. soldier stationed in Afghanistan, who had been held captive for more than five years.  In reply, five detainees from Guantanamo Bay were release to the Qatari Government.  The Qatari government acted as a mediator/in-between during the negotiations. 

The following article from USA Today by Alan Gomez is worth reading.  Below is a snippet:

"I fear that the administration's decision to negotiate with the Taliban for Sgt. Bergdahl's release could encourage future terrorist kidnappings of Americans," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Sunday in a statement.

But security experts like Bruce Hoffman, director of Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies, said that however common the refrain "we do not negotiate with terrorists" has become, it is "repeated as mantra more than fact."

"We have long negotiated with terrorists...

Read the full story [HERE]. 

This past April here at ADRhub.com we had Crisis Negotiation Month.  As part of it, we shared numerous articles on negotiating with terrorists.  See the articles [HERE]. 

Research Report: Does Terrorism Help Perpetrators Achieve Their Demands?

Max Abrahms and Matthew Gottfried explore the question of if acts of terrorism are beneficial in their forthcoming paper in Terrorism and Political Violence titled Does Terrorism Pay? An Empirical Analysis. 

Abrahms, who has explored the topic in previous studies with respect to terrorism being a losing political strategy, and Gottfried examine the political effectiveness of terrorism, specifically whether using the tactic increases the chances of government concessions. For reasons they carefully explain in their study, they restrict their sample to cases of hostage taking and then assess whether governments are more likely to comply to the demands when the hostages have been physically harmed. 

Their main finding is that terrorism…

Download the three page report [here] and the full paper [here] 

Cinnie Noble- Have you ever heard this idiom – ‘you could cut the air with a knife’? Generally-speaking, it is a term that describes a tense situation between people and, at times, there is a sense of foreboding that something unpleasant is about to happen. When I looked up the derivation I did not find a lot to draw from. However, here is one commentator’s attempt at a physiological explanation:

“I suggest it's to do with the fact that people hold back their breath in tense situations…Whatever the reason, there must be a consensus between people as to when the air is free and pleasant, easy to breathe, or the exact opposite: a physical presence, unfree and heavy, impossible to breathe, so that one could cut it with a knife...

Read more [HERE]. 

Access the last issue of “REVISTA DE MEDIACIÓN” (journal of mediati...

You can already access for free the last issue of “REVISTA DE MEDIACIÓN” (journal of mediation). Visit us by only clicking on www.revistademediacion.com/en/

Do Some Mediation Clients Need a Little Advice?

Practical Tips for Family and Divorce Mediators - DVD and binder co...

Justine Borer

Research Report: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Self-Represen...

Julie Macfarlane

Jobs

Job: UN Ombuds Office

Deputy Director, Multi Door Dispute Resolution Division (D.C.)

Part-time Job at United States Inst. of Peace

State Department is hiring a Human Resources Specialist in Office o...

Management and Program Analyst on the Mediation Team

Job: NYPI Training Director

Manager Reserve Bank Services Section & Deputy Ombudsman

"The Texas Conflict Coach"® June Radio Programs

Patricia M Porter- The Texas Conflict Coach® Blog Talk Radio program announces the following episodes starting in the month of  June held every Tuesday night from 5:00-5:30 pm PST/7:00-7:30 pm CST/8:00-8:30 pm EST. 

To participate, go to the designated link for each program or call-in live at 347-324-3591.

June 3rd:  Conflict Talk - A Road Map for How to Get to the Table

Why is there so much unresolved and destructive conflict? Why is it so hard for you to come to the table to talk about the conflict you have with someone? Karmit Bulman, Executive Director, The Conflict Resolution Center in Minnesota and the author of The Conflict Resolution Process: A Consultant's Handbook will help us understand what happens to us in our brains that builds a barrier to these uncomfortable situations.

http://www.texasconflictcoach.com/2014/conflict-talk-a-road-map-for...

June 10th:  The Quest for Conflict Mastery

The quest for engaging more effectively in conflict commonly begins when we realize our usual approaches are no longer working. Or, we are faced with situations that overwhelm us  - or get us into trouble.  In this show, Cinnie Noble will discuss her view of the meaning of conflict mastery - also referred to as conflict intelligence -  and what helps optimize the quest to get there.

http://www.texasconflictcoach.com/2014/the-quest-for-conflict-mastery/

June 17th:  Stop the Dreaded Drama and End Destructive Conflict

Zena Zumeta will talk with the Texas Conflict Coach, Pattie Porter to discuss her new Minibuk Stop the Dreaded Drama: 55 Tips for Ending Destructive Conflict and highlight strategies to withdraw from the drama, reevaluate the situation, and reenter the conflict from a healthier and constructive approach.

http://www.texasconflictcoach.com/2014/stop-the-dreaded-drama-and-e...

June 24th:  The Riddle of Principle and Compromise - How We Can't Have One Without the Other

When to compromise and when to hold fast to our principles is one of the most difficult challenges we face when dealing with conflict. Listen in as mediator, professor and author Bernie Mayer considers how these two values simultaneously prevent us and enable us to deal with some of the most difficult conflicts in our life.

http://www.texasconflictcoach.com/2014/the-riddle-of-principle-and-...