ABSTRACT
Consider a disputing party that is thrilled with the outcome of a public mediation which left another group quietly hurt. The analysis of achievable conflict resolution outcomes expands the common notion of agreements, participants’ satisfaction and implementation. In this chapter, I explain why it is important to grasp the differences between meta-agreements, consensus, compromise and integrative (mutual gains) solutions in order to understand the different ‘roads that lead to Rome’. Moreover, this chapter provides cases on how to create or find a superordinate goal if parties remain deadlocked and continue to disagree profoundly about what should be done. It explains the shift to an overarching theme, be it respect for each other, raising concerns about future generations, or the unbearable situation of dysfunctional community life.
