Canada and Mediation

However, if Canada decides that it wishes to become a more active mediator itself, it is suggested that there are at least four sets of issues to consider: The question of what kind (or kinds) of mediation Canada may wish to engage in, and how “muscular” it can expect to be as a mediator; The issue of how involvement as a mediator may affect support for international justice; The question of [...] Each of these is different.2 Conflict management tends to accept that the power structures and other objective factors which define the situation are beyond the scope of the mediation to change. [...] A review of the mediation efforts which led to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland and the end of apartheid in South Africa, for example, demonstrates that mediation efforts were largely about this bridge- building type of activity which allowed coalitions of those who were willing to consider change to reach out tentatively to each other and solidify their views on each side.3 Of course [...] It holds that the basic structure of the situation perpetuates the conflict and must be transformed.4 Often, those who practice conflict transformation reach out to local communities to empower them to transform the underlying causes of the dispute. [...] Therefore, many mediators hold that, while it is important to have expertise in the subject matter (and probably more expertise than one lets on), the key is Canada and Mediation: Issues and Considerations Page 5 by Peter Jones January, 2017 Canada and Mediation: Issues and Considerations to be expert in the task of bringing the parties into a discussion about the deeper questions of the overall d