Conscious Politics Intuition Tank: Proposal for a New,
Outside-the-Box,
Middle East Violence Prevention Process
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On September 11, I was in DC in order to communicate with colleagues and
groups to enlist support for this proposal to employ a conflict
transformative approach to the Middle East. Beyond the urgency of the
suffering of the people in the region, we now recognize the significance of
this conflict for global security,
As we all bear witness to the tragic escalation of hostilities in the
Middle East, I have been struck by the predictability of provocative
retaliation on both sides, and the ignorance of knowledge and strategies
proven effective in tension reduction and violence prevention. The
deterioration could have been avoided. There is an abundance of knowledge and
talent in the field of conflict transformation and political psychology that
could be drawn upon to help the situation. There may now be the political
will to explore a new, more promising approach.
We recognize that a third force is needed to mediate the polarized
conflict. The US has played that role which has had some value as well as
some problems inherent in our position. We propose a kind of third force that
has a likelihood of success. This approach employs an Intuition Tank with
experts in conflict studies, violence prevention, and psychology, including
depth psychology, social psychology, history, religion, economics, and other
social sciences.
What is unique in this approach is that the participants would be mostly
Arabs and Jews perhaps 40% of each, who have in depth knowledge of the
cultures and religions, as well as some credibility with their own peoples.
Many of the pioneers in this field are Arabs and Jews, and many are in the DC
area. Solutions informed by familiarity using relevant bodies of knowledge
would create a third force that is understanding and protective, less likely
to be perceived as being insensitively imposed from the outside. The other
20% would be people with special expertise in the region and conflict
transformation. We will also strive for a balance between men and women as
recommended in a resolution of the UN Security Council.
Suggestions for interventions, as well as nuances in tone and concepts
will be designed to consider how they would be received by the populations.
This would minimize resistance and untended consequences, or blowback. Issues
of identity, humiliation rage, asymmetry, as well as material conditions of
life will be accounted for in a way to give recognition and hope - antidotes
for violence. It will be a quantum leap beyond what has been tried and failed
so far.
This process also emphasizes the need for internal work within each
population group to deal with issues unique to each group’s position, due to
history, trauma, and asymmetry. As we know from psychology and peace
research, unresolved internal issues can undermine the success of dialogues
and bicommunal solutions.
It is also complex, multilayered and done in stages, with monitoring and
feedback so different dimensions of improvement potentiate the success of
others. This is an initial proposal which will be modified by the
collaboration of the experts.
If you have any suggestions for funders, participants, logistics, or
other ideas, please let me know.The proposal below was written before
September 11.
The people in the region deserve to live with dignity and security. But
beyond that, a new win-win approach, that reduces tension, fear, humiliation
and suffering, based on sound, proven methods, will go a long way in reducing
the flames that fuel terrorism globally. Giving hope for the future will draw
away potential recruits, and eliminate a major source of justification and
rage which is used as a cause to rally mass support for acts of global
violence.
Sincerely,
Diane Perlman
