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Culture is a significant factor in peace negotiation processes. It frames the parties’ perspectives and strategies to managing the conflict. This study explores the role of culture in the peace negotiation processes of the Dagbon ethnopolitical conflict of Northern Ghana. Twelve elders from the Dagbon Traditional Area with an in-depth understanding of the traditions and culture of Dagbon were interviewed using an unstructured interview guide. Similar to most findings on cross-cultural negotiation processes in high-context cultures, all the negotiators were men. The issues negotiated were largely based on the culture and traditions of Dagbon, and the interest and priorities of the negotiators were culturally defined. As with many other ethnopolitical conflicts, the culture of Dagbon was key in shaping the process and outcome of the peace negotiations. It is imperative for cultural issues to be properly understood and addressed satisfactorily in order not to undermine peace negotiation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A confluence of conditions made the Rhodesian civil war ripe for resolution in 1979. However a 'despotic democracy' took early root in the new Zimbabwe, largely accepted by the international community in its first phase, but now condemned by many for its human rights abuses and political repression. Zimbabwe is a failed state with a massive humanitarian crisis. In the face of pressures to adopt a more robust approach, South Africa has stuck to an approach of 'quiet diplomacy' in relations with its neighbor. In March 2007, SADC states appointed South Africa's President Mbeki to mediate between parties to Zimbabwe's conflict. This article analyzes the prospects for this mediation in terms of 'ripeness' theory. It concludes that complex internal conditions and a divided international community do not yet make the crisis ripe for resolution. However, a shift from quiet diplomacy to an approach of principled mediation might assist in inducing the necessary conditions in a manner which limits continuation of the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Harold Wilson's attempts to promote a peaceful solution to the Vietnam war during his first term in office as Britain's Prime Minister, with particular reference to his discussions with the Soviet Premier, Alexei Kosygin, in London in February 1967. Wilson's diplomatic efforts were influenced by his intention to improve Anglo-Soviet relations, and by his belief that the United Kingdom could help develop East-West contacts and facilitate the process of détente. In conclusion, this article argues that the failure of the Sunflower initiative in February 1967 was due not to the intervention of American 'hawks', as Wilson supposed, but to the convoluted clash of interests of the powers involved either directly or indirectly in the Vietnam war -- the USA, USSR, China, and North Vietnam -- which handicapped third-party peace initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the normative framework within which international administrations engage in post-conflict statebuilding. By looking at the aims and justifications for the involvement of the international community in the reform of the civil service in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), it shows how this intervention is shaped by a liberal conception of state sovereignty that emphasizes legitimate state authority. The international administration tries to establish legitimate state authority by pushing for certain reforms. The article concludes that international involvement can be characterized as a 'paradox of sovereignty': the international administration compromises aspects of Bosnia's sovereignty to enable Bill to fulfil its obligations as a sovereign. The tensions this creates have important implications for liberal thinking about the subject of international relations, and for the policymaking of international administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term conflict prevention strategies are reviewed as approaches that seek to address the root causes of conflict. Between 1999 and 2001 particular organizational tracks sought to advance the topic in the UN. For example, in response to 'internal' conflicts during the 1990s, development programmes have been advised to include 'conflict prevention lenses'. However, the UN's approach has emphasized theoretical comprehensiveness without corresponding effective practical outcomes. Moreover, in the aftermath of the attacks in New York and Washington DC on 11 September 2001, the engagement in counterterrorism might encroach unduly on conflict prevention strategies. Still, long-term conflict prevention strategies and counter-terrorism could be linked in addressing common root causes of armed conflicts and terrorist activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the author's views on developments in international arbitration. One of the most striking developments in international arbitration these days is the exponential growth of investment arbitration. It raises a panoply of fascinating issues which are new to arbitration specialists trained in the resolution of commercial disputes. Issues relating to jurisdiction, such as the distinction between treaty and contract claims, and a variety of niceties such as forks in the road, umbrella, and most favored nation clauses. Other new issues are procedural in nature: transparency, third party intervention, amicus curiae briefs, not to mention questions of applicable law and substantive matters.