Conflict prevention and Preventive diplomacy is the use of preventive measures to forestall the eruption of armed conflicts. The term “preventive diplomacy” is usually used in the international arena and refers to efforts of third parties or groups of nations (for example the UN or the OAU) to prevent the escalation of conflicts between, or within other nations. It represents the international will toward responding to early warnings of conflict and attempting preventive diplomacy before conflicts escalate. To build a just and sustainable peace by transforming its underlying causes can begin before violence erupts, but also at any point during a war or after a peace agreement has been signed. Saving innocent lives and properties is more effective and less expensive than destruction and bloodshed.
Both conflict prevention and preventive diplomacy are based on the assumption that intractable conflicts are easier to avoid before they happen, rather than trying to settle them once they have occurred. There is a great deal of truth to this assumption, although some conflicts are likely to be unavoidable. Outside nations often feel that they should not intervene in the internal affairs of others if the situation did not yet explode. By that time, preventive measures are likely to be difficult. If the conflict potentials persist, third parties will be in a far better position to try to intervene in conflicting situations early enough to put them on a constructive, rather than destructive course.
The prevention, control and resolution of a potential conflict are a moral imperative and a basic international responsibility. Peace and stability are imperative for the progress of the world community, as well as for the stabilization of the Middle East.
Preventive actions can be taken by the UN, regional organizations, NGO networks and individual states when local and regional actors can detect early warning signs of violence, and can help foster personal reconciliation techniques between conflicting parties. Diplomatic intervention should be preceded by accurate data collection and high level evaluation before any practical step takes place. Preventive measures could include: Early warning, fact finding, early deployment, demilitarized zones, and confidence building measures. Preventive actions depend on early warning that the risk of conflict exists; they require information about the causes and likely nature of the potential conflict so that the appropriate preventive action can be identified; they also require the consent and effective the response of the party or parties within whose jurisdiction the preventive action is to take place.
Third parties often become involved in the mediation in order to find ways through stalemates or even to get the parties talking to each other in an effort of confidence building and peacemaking. Wisdom and thoughtfulness are important qualities for the mediators, the same as patience, perseverance and creative ideas are necessary to terminate into a peaceful success. Such qualities are badly needed in settling the Middle East Conflict in general and the Palestinian Israeli conflict in particular.
With the increased globalization, the sphere of participants in inter-communal conflicts is expanding. Participants include not only state actors, but also the opposition parties and adversaries within the conflict itself, not to mention regional, multi-national and non-governmental organizations. A third party mediator can provide space for and initiate negotiations or discussions, gather information, help penetrate emotional barriers, help expand the negotiable space, represent absent persons and views, provide resources, create pressure to reach an agreement, and generate support for an agreement. All those steps aim at de-escalating conflicts, reach sustainable agreements and prevent future conflicts from occurring.
Non-Governmental Organizations can play an effective role in what is generally referred to as conflict prevention and peace building. Their role stretches from the level of education and capacity building, as well as to the level of institution building. Media awareness campaigns and workshops for government officials, parliamentarians, academics, civil society and business people are an indispensable tool to disseminate information and sensibilize the public opinion about potential conflicts. NGOs could as well intervene as an honest broker between the conflicting parties or countries, since they do not follow strategic hegemonies or look for private interests or economic domination. Civil society organizations can act as Track II or back channel for official negotiations conducted by UN organizations and other regional inter-governmental institutions.
A partnership between governments, international organizations and civil society is vital to conduct a successful mediation. And this is what has been missing in the Middle East for a long time. With the increased role of civil society organizations and their constructive contribution in peace making and peace building on international level NGOs could take a greater role in the Middle East process.
The element of the timing is crucial. The potential conflict should be ripe for the preventive action proposed. Timing is also an important consideration in peace making and peace-keeping. It is important to choose the appropriate time for the preventive intervention acceptable to both sides.
Conflict prevention also is useful in smaller-scale conflicts, to the extent that the parties can control complication factors from the outset, define the conflict as a mutual problem rather than a competitive, or win-lose situation, and utilize a strategy that depends most on integrative and exchange approaches more than force, the conflict is more likely to be more productive than destructive. Once escalation sets in and other complicating factors develop, the strategy must change from conflict prevention to conflict management or resolution, which is generally considerably harder to accomplish in a successful way...
A conflict cannot be settled on paper or in closed and well furnished offices; potential belligerents have to be convinced that the conflict has not been settled at their expense. A win-lose solution will not last long as long as the conflict has not been fairly settled. Only a win-win solution can work and bear fruits. That is a reason among others why the Palestinian Israeli conflict has not yet been settled so far. Palestinians believe that most of the proposed settlements are not based on a win-win solution, and that they have to pay a higher price.
In order to sustain lasting settlement and encourage belligerents to settle down their conflicts a carrot should be promised or offered to both sides to satisfy their needs. The billions of US Dollars invested in the war industry, or for the purchase of destructive weapons can be diverted to peaceful purposes and for the construction in both belligerent countries. Industrialized nations can promise job-oriented projects in the framework of infrastructure or production oriented projects to absorb the restive youth and entice them to get involved in the projected peace process.
Unfortunately, countries in Africa and Asia are plagued by different kinds of conflicts ranging from ethnic to sectarian and national conflicts. Both continents require the attention of the international community as well as the direct intervention of the international NGOs active in this field such as the East/West institute.
* A Palestinian writer based in Ramallah. He was PLO spokesman during the Lebanon period until 1983 and was the Director General of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) until 2005. He is author of three books on Media, a Novel in Arabic and other publications.
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