ABSTRACT
In 2005, Talentino noted a marked upswing in the willingness of United Nations and other multilateral agencies to undertake peacemaking interventions, as the elimination of US-Soviet competition and vetoes eased Intergovernmental Organization paralysis. Israel’s founding in 1948 of course stemmed from the 1947 UN General Assembly partition agreement. An examination of civil war peace agreements can provide some insight, at least regarding one pervasive type of conflict, as to how agreement architects have embraced agency and/or structure in their efforts to move parties toward more enduring settlement. Mediation effectiveness or success, especially in international settings, may hinge on cultural factors. Dialogue processes have been noted as a way to break down prejudices, come to deeper understandings, and cultivate shared values. The relational conception brings us to the intriguing possibilities of restorative practice between combatants and ultimately to conceptions of reconciliation. Criminal perpetrators as well as victims and their families have to be willing to come forward.
