A lot of people are cynical about peace. They believe that peace is weak. Peace is for the lefties. Peace is not possible against evil. Peace is an artifact of wishful thinking of the faithful. These people believe that in power there is strength. In military might, there is security....

The diplomatic community is publicly patting itself on the back for the "deal" in Durban.

"We have made history," said South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who chaired the talks. Britain's Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne said the result was "a great success for European diplomacy."

U.S....

First, let's consider what makes this time slightly different than previous times of unrest. The essential facts are that most Americans are suffering through the deepest economic depression since the 1930s. We barely avoided a complete economic collapse and may still see an economic collapse if the euro fails. With...

Military force shouldn't be ruled out as a response to an Iranian assassination plot on U.S. soil, the top House Republican on intelligence issues said on ABC's This Week.

"I don't think you should take it off the table," said Representative Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Permanent...

The Occupy Wall St. protest movement is reminiscent of the social movements of the past. Beneath the headlines, however, there are deeper issues that deserve more thoughtful attention, including a consideration of the tension between distributive justice and the nature of capitalism. This tension, which is rarely, if ever, discussed,...

Those of us outside of Washington D.C. are faced with potential disaster if our elected representatives cannot compromise on debt ceiling limits. The conflict has spiraled into pure ideology. As a mediator and peacemaker, I deal with this type of conflict frequently. Anyone in my business will tell you that...

Libya is presenting another example of an international conflict mediation fiasco. The events in Libya show how an uncoordinated, non-strategic, ad hoc approach to serious conflicts leads to the utter failure of peace.

The Libyan civil war started on February 15, 2011 as Muammar Gaddafi's security forces violently...

Last week at the G-8 summit in France, Russia agreed to mediate a ceasefire between the warring factions in Libya. The Russian government, like most governments, has limited experience in mediating international conflicts. Thus, unless it appoints experienced, professional mediators onto its mediation team, its efforts are likely to be...

Along with the announcement earlier today that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president (dictator) of Egypt was an announcement by Egyptian state radio that Naguib Sawiris, a wealthy and widely respected businessman, has agreed to act as a mediator between the opposition and the authorities...

Last week, two international mediators declared impasse and walked away from the conflicts they were assigned to mediate. In Lebanon, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal attempted to mediate a serious conflict between Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al Hariri and Hezbollah. In the Ivory Coast, Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga...

What do the stalled Middle East peace talks and just completed climate change negotiations in Cancun have in common? Essentially, both problems are difficult and intractable conflicts that have not been resolved through diplomatic negotiation.

The private efforts of the United States in the Middle East began early in the...

Pastor Terry Jones is just one of a long line of protesters who have used flames to destroy symbols of meaning. By now, the world knows of his intention to burn copies of the holy scripture of Islam, the Quran with his tiny congregation in Gainesville, Florida on September 11,...

There will be plenty of analysis on the substance of the upcoming talks at the White House between Netanyahu and Abbas. What is not being talked about is the actual process itself. A well-designed and executed mediation process will do much to help create the container necessary for the difficult...

There is no easy way out of Afghanistan. The problem starts with India and Pakistan and ends only if peace can be found between them.

India and Pakistan have gone to war four times. In 1947, they fought a long and intense battle over Kashmir. In 1965, they fought...