mediation

Formally trained as a mediator, John Paul has participated in and facilitated a wide range of mediation processes. Over time, he found the dominant terminology and associated imagery did not match his experience or many of the practices innovated in settings of violent, protracted conflict. Professional mediation tends to build around formalized processes of impartial and neutral facilitation. Long-term constructive social change in settings of violent conflict requires committed relationships and the nurturing of a social mediative capacity. Often captured in the term ‘accompaniment,’ this approach requires creativity in the evolution of a wider range of roles. The content in this section spans the evolution of John Paul's practice and understanding of mediation, particularly between the late 1980s to the early 2000s, shaped by his early experiences in international high-level mediation and transformative learnings from local mediative processes in Central America.

Adam Curle: Radical Peacemaker

A book capturing Adam Curle's core contributions in an accessible, edited form, so that the breadth of his work can be introduced to new students.

Memoirs of Nepal: Reflections Across a Decade

Reflections gathered from a decade and more of work in Nepal, written for The McConnell Foundation and friends and partners in Nepal.

Facing the Oka Crisis: A Conflict Resolution Perspective

Observations and suggestions for how the Oka Crisis might be understood emergent from the Autumn 1990 armed standoff between Mohawks and the Quebec and Canadian governments.

Más allá de la mesa, espacios estratégicos de diálogo en la construcción de la paz

A conference paper that explores dominant and alternative metaphors in peacebuilding.

Third Party Intervention in Nicaragua

A conference paper analyzing models forms of third party intervention undertaken in Nicaragua, advocating for an expansion of the third party concept then guiding peace research and peacemaking practice.

‘Revolutionaries’ & ‘Resolutionaries’: In Pursuit of Dialogue

A contribution toward dialogue between mediators and activists through the offering of three ways for framing issues of peacebuilding and social change.

Staying True in Nepal: Understanding Community Mediation Through Action Research

A chapter focusing on a community mediation initiative in Nepal that employed participatory action research as the mode for understanding practice and the development of relevant training materials for local use.