Sunday, October 2, 2011  Switching modes  Imagine if one could
flip a switch that would cause all the parties to a conflict to
change their approach from an adversarial mode of conflict
resolution to a problem-solving, or negotiation mode.  In other
words, stop arguing with one another, and start talking and
listening to one another. That is one way of thinking about what
mediators do, and of course it is never as easy as flipping a
switch. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily even require a
mediator to make the transition.  On my political blog, I posted
something--inspired by my rabbi's Rosh Hashanah sermon--about
the difference between a crisis model and a values model. He was
talking about Israel, but the concepts apply to any conflict.
The crisis model, which we seem to adopt in times of war or
stress, is built on suspicion and distrust, does not tolerate
dissent, and seeks to de-legitimize and defeat the other side.
By contrast, what my rabbi was calling a values model, and what
those in the mediat