4750407

Track One and Track Two
Diplomacy / Civil Society Peace-

Building: Preconditions, Merits
and Problems
Sabine Wagner,
INEF Duisburg / IFSH Hamburg
Actors on the
Peace-Building Stage
• Peacebuilding involves a wide range of

actors
• Approaches to Peace-Building make a

distinction between actors on the state
level („Track One“) and actors on the
civil society level („Track Two“)
Track One and Two
Track One Track Two
• Governments • International and

• International and local NGOs
regional • Research institutes
Organisations (EU, • Churches
UNO, AU) • Individuals
Track One Diplomacy
Mediation
• Mediation by states is practised in the

form of official or quiet diplomacy
• The usual types of mediation (umbrella

term) are good offices, facilitation,
consultation, negotiation and mediation
Types of Track One Mediation
• Good Offices: low-intervention mediation efforts (e.g. logistical
support for peace talks)
• Facilitation: prior or parallel to negotiations, facilitators try to

create space for the conflicting parties to come together.
Facilitators talk to the parties separately, often through shuttle
diplomacy
• Consultations: mediators act as advisors to the conflicting

parties
• Mediation: characterised by a higher degree of interference than

other mediation types, mediators articulate their opinion and
usually try to develop a peace plan
Power Mediation as a Special
Form of Mediation
• Outcome-orientation: the aim of mediation is to

identify representative leaders of the conflicting
parties and to bring them together to negotiate a
cease fire and/or a peace accord
• Power Mediation: outcome-oriented, explicit

possibility of use of power, including military force.
This approach can be practised by states which are
able to bring resources into the negotiations
(„financial carrots“ or „military sticks“)
Criticisms on Track One Diplomacy
• State diplomacy focuses on the top

leadership level of conflicting parties:
„[...] the international community most often seeks out

and relates to hierarchical leaders [...] even when, as
it is often the case, power may be far more diffuse
and fractionated. In situations such as Bosnia,
Somalia, and Liberia, the degree to which hierarchical
power is operational is decidedly unclear.“
(Jean Paul Lederach, Levels of Leadership, in: Luc Reychler/Thania
Paffenholz (Hrsg.), Peacebuilding. A Field Guide, Boulder 2001, S.
147)
And more criticism...
• State mediation are only in rare cases

„neutral“
• Outcome-oriented approaches are not

sufficient in tackling deeper roots of
conflict
Track Two Diplomacy / Civil Society
Peace-Building
• Rather a complementary concept than an

alternative to Track One
• Process-oriented rather than outcome-

oriented
• Tackles the relationships af actors on all

society levels (grass-roots level, middle-range
level, top level)
Example of Track Two Instruments:
„Interactive Problem-Solving Workshops“
• Influential persons of conflicting parties are

brought together in a neutral, informell
setting, „Chattamham Rules“
• In a three-stage process, accompagnied by

practicioners and scientists, proposals are
worked out for a solution which satisfies the
security and identity needs of all parties
Limits to the Problem-Solving Workshop
• Recruitment: it is difficult to find participants who are

motivated to actively get involved in the peace
process and who are at the same time in a position
that enables them to feed the workshop results into
the political process
• Asymmetry: workshop has limited output when the

constellation of conflicting parties is characterised by
an asymmetric power structure
Multi-Track Diplomacy: the natural answer to
the „multi-cause“ of conflict?
„Peace in the largest sense cannot be accomplished

by the United Nations or the Governments alone.
Nongovernmental Organizations, academic
institutions, parliamentarians, business and
professional communities, the media and the public
at large must all be involved.“
(Boutros-Ghali, Agenda for Peace 1992)

Multi-Track Diplomacy
• There are a number of approaches to
integrate Track One and Track Two
Diplomacy into a complementary
concept
• McDonald names 9 different actor
groups, pointing out the media as an
interconnecting communication channel
Multi-Track Diplomacy
(Source: Louise Diamond/John McDonald, Multi-Track Diplomacy. A Systems Approach
to Peace (3rd edition), West Hardford 1996)
Excursion: NGOs as Track Two Players – Strenghts
and Weaknesses
Strenghts:
• Independent, credible
• accepted by conflicting parties
• can provide an informal, unofficial setting to conflicting parties
• less media attention, creates space for shuttle diplomacy
• have access to actors on all levels of society: grassroots level, middle-
range level and top level
• use an array of innovative and flexible methods (e.g. „Search for
Common Ground“: TV-series „Nashe Maalo“ in Macedonia, „Studio
Ijambo“ in Burundi)
• can create space for „peace constituencies“
• „eyes and ears“ to international community: early presence in conflict
zones
• develop expertise, provide political actors with analyses and
recommendations (e.g. International Crisis Group)
Weaknesses:
• Low financial capacities, low „political weight“ (but: cedibility)

• Discontinuity (high fluctuation of staff due to difficult living
conditions, psychological pressure)
• Staff sometimes does not meet required professional skills and
qualifications (Conflict analysis, mediation techniques, social and
intercultural competence)
• NGOs sometimes replace the state, weak state structures lose
credibility
• „In many ways NGO activity can be seen as replacing the state.
This raises a crucial question [...]: To whom are NGOs
accountable?“ (Pamela Aall,1996)
• Legitimacy? (external and internal legitimacy)
• Dominance of „western“ actors and peacebuilding concepts
...more weaknesses...
„I found that in Egypt, Rwanda and Burundi people were not too
excited about the role of NGOs in their country. In Rwanda, one
person called it the „new colonization, which I later read in an
article as well. [...] The Westerners felt that they were trying to
do something good and refused to believe that their work was
under suspicion, while the local population had a different
attitude. Those who worked with the NGOs enjoyed having a
„good job“, while the population itself was not as attached to the
cause or the service that was being provided as it was to the
money and surroundings that came with it.“
(Amr K. Abdullah, Finding the Tools to Bridge the Cultural Gaps,
http://www.alhewar.com/Alma-Amr.htm,14. Okt. 2001)
...and more weaknesses
• NGOs do not choose their local partners careful enough („let‘s cooperate“)
• NGOs sometimes have only weak if any ties with civil society, and sometimes
represent elite interests only
• NGOs sometimes replace local peace initiatives instead of supporting them
• NGOs sometimes do not analyse conflict situations properly before they get
involved
• Sometimes NGOs do not show long-term commitment („jumpers“, „hit and run“
approach)
  „do no harm“
  „Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment“
• NGOs sometimes ignore the fact, that there is always a number of people who
profit from war
• Harsh competition for funds
• Labor division among NGOs as well as between NGOs, states and multilateral
agencies, is surprisingly underdeveloped, lack of cooperation
• NGOs tend not to evaluate their programs on a regular base
  networks
NGO activities: „Search for Common
Ground“ in Macedonia
(source and further information: www.sfcg.org)
• Bridges for the New Balkans: Regional Media

Project
• Mozaik: Model for Multicultural Pre-school

Education in Macedonia
• Nashe Maalo: Television, Theatre and

Outreach Projects
Bridges for the New Balkans:
Regional Media Project
• Bridges for the New Balkans was the first regional media project
in the Balkans
• Project has been successfully implemented in Macedonia,
Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia
• Main goal of the project is improved communication among
different ethnic communities and nations in the Balkans
• Using media as a tool, the project attempts to overcome
prejudices among the Balkan nations
• Since the beginning of the project, approximately 500
journalists, intellectuals and other professionals from different
countries in the region have been involved in the project
Project Components
• Karavan, Regional Magazine

• Multiethnic Forum, local (Macedonian)
Magazine
• Balkan Kaleidoscope
• Local TV Exchange
• Local Radio Exchange
Mozaik: Model for Multicultural Pre-school
Education in Macedonia
• Mozaik was initiated in 1998 to support Macedonian educational
institutions in bridging the gap caused by linguistic, cultural and ethnic
segregation in schools and kindergartens
• Project has two main components: introducing a bilingual approach in

kindergartens and developing a child-centered pedagogical approach
that includes age-appropriate training in conflict-resolution skills for
children
• Since 1998 Mozaik has been successfully implemented in Skopje,

Kumanovo, Gostivar, Struga and Debar
• SCGM‘s objective for 2004-2006 is that Mozaik is integrated formally

into the Macedonian public education system
Nashe Maalo: Television, Theatre and
Outreach Projects
• Nashe Maalo was the first children‘s television
program in Macedonia
• goals: promote intercultural understanding,

encourage conflict prevention in a multicultural
society and impart specific conflict-resolution skills
that children can use in their everyday lives
Nashe Maalo
• Children‘s Puppet Theatre
• Nashe Maalo Outreach
• Children‘s Magazine
• Parent-Teacher Guide
• Nashe Maalo Music CD
• Knowledge Quiz Show
• Nashe Maalo Live Theatre
Thank you for your attention!
Questions/Discussion:
• What are your experiences

with NGOs or other „Track
Two“ Actors?
• What do you think of the

„Search for Common
Ground“ approach in
Macedonia?

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Track One and Track Two

Diplomacy / Civil Society Peace-

• Peacebuilding involves a wide range of

• Approaches to Peace-Building make a

• Governments • International and

• Mediation by states is practised in the

• The usual types of mediation (umbrella

• Facilitation: prior or parallel to negotiations, facilitators try to

• Consultations: mediators act as advisors to the conflicting

• Mediation: characterised by a higher degree of interference than

• Outcome-orientation: the aim of mediation is to

• Power Mediation: outcome-oriented, explicit

• State diplomacy focuses on the top

„[...] the international community most often seeks out

• State mediation are only in rare cases

• Outcome-oriented approaches are not

• Rather a complementary concept than an

• Process-oriented rather than outcome-

• Tackles the relationships af actors on all

• Influential persons of conflicting parties are

• In a three-stage process, accompagnied by

• Recruitment: it is difficult to find participants who are

• Asymmetry: workshop has limited output when the

„Peace in the largest sense cannot be accomplished

(Boutros-Ghali, Agenda for Peace 1992)

• Low financial capacities, low „political weight“ (but: cedibility)

(source and further information: www.sfcg.org)

• Bridges for the New Balkans: Regional Media

• Mozaik: Model for Multicultural Pre-school

• Nashe Maalo: Television, Theatre and

• Karavan, Regional Magazine

• Project has two main components: introducing a bilingual approach in

• Since 1998 Mozaik has been successfully implemented in Skopje,

• SCGM‘s objective for 2004-2006 is that Mozaik is integrated formally

• goals: promote intercultural understanding,

• What are your experiences

• What do you think of the

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