A recent article posted on mediate.com, ” The Culture of the Code” by Daniel Rainey and Alma Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, mentioned an eye-catching statistic. It stated that the largest Section, or interest group, in the American Bar Association is now the Section on Dispute Resolution. It is remarkable that more people choose to join that Section […]
Mediator credibility
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had recently worked to position himself as a mediator between Israel and the Arab world, with some success. Yet, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a well-publicized outburst condeming Israel for its actions in Gaza undermined his credibility. A Time magazine article online, “Behind the Turkish Prime Minster’s […]
George Mitchell, mediator, listener
There has been some news coverage about George Mitchell’s new assignment as Middle East special envoy. In particular, his recent trip to the region has been described as a “listening tour”. Unlike efforts to force a solution on parties, efforts to mediate a solution are based on what the parties themselves view as their priorities, […]
Impromptu conflict resolution on the sidewalk
The New York Times Metropolitan Diary on January 26, 2009 included a story about a parking dispute on a New York street. Two drivers vied for the same parking space, each part way in the space, one nose first and one backed in. Neither would give in and neither could convince the other to give […]
George Mitchell, mediator, Middle East special envoy
Last week, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was named as Middle East special envoy to work on the intractable conflict(s) that have plagued that region. Mitchell is justifiably lauded for his good works in the process to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Mitchell commented on his Northern Ireland experience when his latest appointment was […]
Mediate or fight until there is nothing left to fight over?
Yesterday, the New York Times ran a front-page article by John Leland, titled “In Housing Fall, Breaking Up is Harder to Do.” The article described how divorcing couples were now faced with an additional challenge: how to split up assets that have declined greatly in value, and may even be very hard to value in […]
Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program’s First Five Months — Part III
This is the third and final time I will write about an article in the December 8, 2008 Hartford Business Journal titled “Mediation Helps 360 Postpone Foreclosure.” Greg Bordonaro described the success of Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program, including comments from various participants. One participant, an attorney for the Connecticut Fair Housing Authority, noted that those […]
Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program’s First Five Months — Part II
Last time, I wrote about an article in the December 8, 2008 Hartford Business Journal titled “Mediation Helps 360 Postpone Foreclosure.” Greg Bordonaro described the success of Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program, including comments from various participants. I talked about how a “win” for a homeowner could mean more than stopping foreclosure completely, because even a […]
Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program’s First Five Months — Part I
The operation of Connecticut’s Foreclosure Mediation Program through its first five months illustrates a couple of themes that are common to most mediation processes. In an article in the December 8, 2008 Hartford Business Journal titled “Mediation Helps 360 Postpone Foreclosure”, Greg Bordonaro described the program, with comments from various viewpoints. One positive note is […]
What to look for in a mediator — Part II
Last time, I wrote about a recent article in the online version of “afrol News” that was titled: “DRC rebel leader wants Norwegian mediation.” The article discussed the advances that Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda has made towards the Norwegian government to help mediate the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Although […]
