Elusive Peace-How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts
As we participate in ineffective peace negotiations while providing financial support for military exercises, the US burdens the economy with more debt, while displaced victims suffer for years to come.
Fresno, CA (PRWEB) August 03, 2011
Professional Mediator and author Douglas E. Noll was recently selected from a worldwide search as one of 194 mediators to be included in the International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediators. In his first official statement, Noll endorses Angelina Jolie’s ambassador efforts for bringing worldwide attention to the victims of war and conflict. (Jolie won an award for drawing attention to the plight of 117,000 refugees in Bosnia unable to return home although the war ended 16 years ago).
“Media attention focuses on conflict, war, and weapons, not poverty, famine, and violence—the consequences of war zones. What we really need to keep top of mind is the fact that while we spend billions of dollars on military exercises, women and children fleeing war will experience famine, physical harm, loss of community resources like medical care, clean water, and shelter—years after the U.S. has left and forgotten the conflicts they participated in,” Noll explains.
“As we participate in ineffective peace negotiations while providing financial support for military exercises, the US burdens the economy with more debt, while displaced victims suffer for years to come. There is another way. Skilled mediation for peace negotiations, coordination of resources, and a long term view is needed in order to shift from our historically inefficient and detrimental short sighted attention to ‘hot spots’,” Noll warns.
Author of Elusive Peace-How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts (Prometheus 2011), Noll provides a compelling case for recognizing the need for international diplomatic mediators, skilled in their fields, instead of using rudimentary skills on a complicated and conflicted world stage. “Outdated military and diplomatic methods for resolving global conflicts don’t work. Now that we have a more sophisticated understanding of the science of neurobiology, how diverse social systems operate, understand the nuances, values and beliefs of different cultures, we are poised to make intelligent, intuitive, skilled headway into the art of mediating conflict.”
“Nations who interfere in areas of conflict need effective leaders with sustainable plans. If it takes a movie star with a heart for refugees to begin the dialogue, then I whole heartedly endorse more award ceremonies for all humanitarian efforts.”
After a successful 22 year trial career, Doug decided that litigation was a wasteful way to resolve conflicts, and earned his Masters Degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies. Since then, he has dedicated his life to mediation and peacemaking. Today, Doug is a nationally recognized mediator, trainer, and speaker. He has hosted a weekly radio show dedicated to giving a voice to international peacemakers for over five years. His current pro bono project is training murderers committed to life sentences in the largest women’s prison in the world to become peacemakers and mediators (go to http://www.prisonofpeace.org for more information this project).
Noll was recently selected from a worldwide search as one of 194 mediators to be included in the International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediation.
Professionally, Doug is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, a Distinguished Fellow of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators and on the American Arbitration Association panel of mediators and arbitrators. Doug was one of the first U.S. mediators certified under the international mediator standards established by the International Mediation Institute based in The Hague, Netherlands.
He is an author of the books Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts (Prometheus, in press for release Spring 2011), Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage (Auberry Press 2006), with John Boogaert, and Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict (Cascadia Publishing House 2002), and numerous chapters and articles on peacemaking, restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation. He is a sought after mediator trainer, lecturer, speaker, and continuing education teacher. Doug has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America by U.S. News & World Report and is a Northern California Super Lawyer in Alternative Dispute Resolution. He has mediated over 1,500 conflicts, including business disputes, clergy sexual abuse cases, victim-offender criminal cases, and large litigated cases. His particular interest is in deep, intractable conflicts where emotions are running high.
As he became interested in international mediation efforts Noll observed that international mediators, for the most part, were inexperienced in the science and art of mediation. Their rookie mistakes were making things worse, often leading to genocide or further war. Unfortunately, political leaders, diplomats, special envoys, and retired generals are often appointed to a job for which they are not trained nor have sufficient aptitude. Elusive Peace shows why we can no longer afford to allow political, diplomatic, and military leaders mediate peace accords. They simply don’t know what they are doing. For more information visit http://www.elusivepeace.com. For media inquiries contact Diane Dennis, Inspired Media Communications at 503-678-1356.
###