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Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts: Small Steps to Peace

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi and Simon J. A. Mason; Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2019

Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts


external page Shortlisted for the 2020 Conflict Research Society (CRS) Book of the Year

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Book Flyer

 

external page Click here to read the book’s introduction

Blending Homegrown Peacebuilding Solutions to Overcome Protracted Pastoral Conflicts in Africa: Experience-sharing workshop for the East and Southern Africa Region

Dates and Location of the workshop: 22nd - 24th November 2022, Boma Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.

Participation: Mediation and peace practitioners from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Somalia, and South Sudan.

Lead Partners: Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), Garissa University’s Institute of Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), ETH Zurich - Center for Security Studies (CSS) and Switzerland Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

A brief: Small steps to peace:
The African continent is experiencing protracted and recurrent violent community conflicts, which particularly affect pastoralist societies. These conflicts are related to the challenges of climate change, population pressure, food insecurity and proliferation of firearms exacerbated by porous borders. Waning customary institutions and norms, marginalization in development and governance, and inadequate learning and research challenge to respond to such conflict. The Frontier Counties in Kenya are not an exception. The region has had a long history of ethnic conflict, violence and marginalization. New conflict drivers and dynamics related to devolution processes and resource sharing are now aggravating these local pressures and raising challenges for traditional and conventional peacebuilding structures.

At the same time, this region is extremely rich in good practice addressing conflict and these insights can inform other fragile contexts worldwide. The book, “Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts: Small Steps to Peace”, by Dekha Ibrahim and Simon Mason, is a milestone in documenting local peace and mediation experiences. Jointly reflecting on insights from the book and blending them with current experiences in Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Somalia can contribute to improved approaches towards sustainable peace and development.

The workshop will launch the book “Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts: Small Steps to Peace”. It will bring together government and civil society representatives working on the development and attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (promotes peace, inclusivity and ends violence) from global, regional, and local levels. The diverse group of practitioners will reflect on and improve their mediation and peace practice. The workshop will explore how the mediation and peacebuilding insights of Dekha Ibrahim can be applied and adapted to the challenges of current situation in Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Somalia. This will allow for pan-African learning and strengthen social cohesion within and between groups. A core idea of the book is to bridge short-term mediation with medium-term peace committee structures and long-term peace policy work. Thus it will contribute to developing inclusive and effective conflict responses that manage shocks peacefully. This in turn will enhance the work of inter and intra-county/district peace committees to prevent and respond to conflicts.

10 Years On - Remembering Dekha Ibrahim Abdi - An Intergenerational Conversation

Remembering Dekha

external page Event took place on 14th July 2021

external page Watch the recording of the event here

ETH Podcast: Small Steps to Peace

Podcast

In external page this ETH podcast, CSS' Simon J. A. Mason and Kaltuma Hassan Noorow, daughter of the late Kenyan mediator Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, talk about their mediation experiences in Kenya and Switzerland. They also discuss Dekha and Simon's new book, Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts. 

Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts introduces an innovative, practical approach to resolving an enduring issue: How can conflicts be resolved in polarized societies?

This approach breaks out of the insider/outsider dichotomy to develop a framework for achieving peace in the most challenging of contexts—a framework that unites outsider perspectives on mediation methodology with the rich experiences and reflections that only local peace practitioners can provide. The authors lay out the framework step by step, present case studies that show it in action, and clarify how interim peace structures can act as a bridge between short-term mediation and long-term state-building efforts around the world.

The book argues that mediation is effective to the degree it is contextualized and linked to governance-building efforts. The “Short-term, Medium-term, and Long-term Linkages” (SMALL) Framework for Peace clarifies how to link mediation and governance-building (figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1

Short-term peace practice involves using mediation to deal with acute conflict in a context-sensitive manner. Medium-term peace practice combines mediation and governance-building, setting up local peace committees involving state and non-state actors and addressing both acute conflict as well as structural factors fueling conflict. Building on this, long-term peace practice grapples with strategic policy questions, minimizing the “predatory sphere” by developing states that provide effective and legitimate delivery of security and services for all citizens. The mix of mediation and governance-building changes in the short-, medium-, and long-term (figure 2.2).

Figure 2.2

 

Audio Files

Interviews with Dekha Ibrahim Abdi 2010-2011, compiled by Simon J. A. Mason, November 20, 2018, the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich

Click here to listen to the full podcast of all 21 audio clips

Individual audio clips:

Introduction

1.   What is mediation?
2.   Small efforts and long-term impact

Short-term Responses

3.   Mediation process design
4.   Conflict analysis
5.   Participation, criteria for inclusive or exclusive processes
6.   Participation of women in a culturally sensitive manner
7.   Mediation style, combining cultural, Islamic and Western approaches
8.   Venue
9.   Media

Medium-term Responses

10. Peace Committees functions and membership

Long-term Responses

11. States for All – collective and individual

Linking Inner and Outer Peace

12. Motivation and Cross-Cleavage Collaboration
13. Reflective action in Israel Palestine

Case Studies

14. Wajir, security governance, brainstorming, positions-interests
15. Pokot Samburu, setting ground rules
16. Mandera, Peace Committee containing conflict
17. Mandera, impartiality of mediator
18. Mandera, storytelling in mediation
19. Mandera, trauma-healing
20. Kenyan election crisis, Concerned Citizens for Peace

Conclusions

21. Applicability to other contexts

About the Authors

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi
Dekha Ibrahim Abdi. Photo © Emma Leslie

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi’s path took her from teaching at a rural Kenyan school to being renowned as a global peacemaker. In 2007, she received the Right Livelihood Award (often referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize), which honors "those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." She died in 2011 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.

Dekha was named Kenya Peace Builder in 2005 and in 2007 she received the Right Livelihood Award: “for showing in diverse ethnic and cultural situations how religious and other differences can be reconciled, even after violent conflict, and knitted together through a cooperative process that leads to peace and development”. In 2009 she received the Hesse Peace Prize.

Simon J. A. Mason
Simon J. A. Mason. Photo © Sybille Berchtold

Simon J. A. Mason is a senior researcher and head of the Mediation Support Team at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich.

 

 

 

 

Reviews and Comments

“It brings in new perspectives to mediating in conflict at different levels, particularly linking the inner and outer peace work.”

Elias Opongo, external page Review in Journal of Social Encounter

“A book co-authored by the late Dekha Ibrahim, an icon of peace and mediation in Northern Kenya. ‘Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts’. A big contribution towards a peaceful Kenya and FCDC counties.”

Mohamed Guleid, CEO of Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC)

“I was impressed by the concrete and sequenced approach. Few books tell one how to do things in reality—this book is one of them.”

Sergio Jaramillo, High Commissioner of Peace in the Colombian peace negotiations from 2012 to 2016

"An important book because of the wealth of practical insights regarding mediation, but also because it shows how a qualitative approach that strikes a balance between a focus on context and a focus on generic mediation theory can move mediation research closer to practice."

external page Book Review: Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts: Small Steps to Peace by Dr. Allard Duursma, Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich.

“An absolutely brilliant book! Mediation and Governance in Fragile States reveals a powerful, holistic framework for helping divided societies bridge their differences—showing how to create sustainable peace through linkage between short-term settlements and long-term structural solutions. In a world too often stuck in the myth of the quick fix, this book should be required reading by peacemakers of every ilk—from mediators to disputants, government officials to grassroots organizations. Putting these ideas into practice will make for a more peaceful world.”

Daniel L. Shapiro, Director of the International Harvard Negotiation Program, author of Negotiating the Nonnegotiable and co-author with Roger Fisher of Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as you Negotiate

“Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts shows us clearly how to involve all levels of society when working towards just and sustainable peace. I highly recommend it to all mediators and peacebuilders around the world.”

Lt. Gen. Lazaro K. Sumbeiywo (Rtd.), Mediator of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005

“At last there is a book that provides practical and complementary non-Western and Western approaches for mediation and conflict management to address and resolve violent ethnic and political conflicts. Abdi and Mason, who are grounded in international mediation theory and practice (“knowledge from away”) and on-the-ground customary practices in the Kenyan-Somali context (“knowledge from here”), provide effective strategies for handling these kinds of conflicts at local, sub-national and national levels. Accompanying case studies read like good mystery novels for mediators, and are real page-turners. Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts: Small Steps to Peace should be on every peacemaker’s and peace researcher’s desk… and in their briefcases and backpacks!”

Christopher Moore, Partner, CDR Associates and author of The Mediation Process: Practical Strategies for Resolving Conflict

"Dekha Ibrahim Abdi has been an enormous inspiration for peacebuilders in Kenya and beyond; may this book be read widely and deeply so her voice of wisdom continues to guide our struggle for peace and justice."

Tecla Namachanja Wanjala, former acting chair of Kenya's Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission

“With this extraordinary book we finally have an embodiment of the voice of Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, whose charisma, persistence, and openness touched those she encountered, shifting destructive conflict patterns. Respectfully co-authored by Simon Mason, we learn how to use mediation as a grounded, well-networked, and strategic response to repeating patterns of local to national violence. I hope this book is read far and wide as it fills a gap in the peacebuilding literature.”

John Paul Lederach, Professor Emeritus, University of Notre Dame

“For those of us who had the privilege of working with Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts is a wonderful chance to hear once again the clarity, vision, and persuasiveness of her voice for peace. For those who never had the privilege of knowing her, this book is the next best thing.”

Ken Menkhaus, Professor, Davidson College

"This is a rare opportunity to read articulate and gripping grassroots stories about resolving violent conflict, and to get the inside track on what is actually involved in achieving sustainable peace. The case studies, complemented by a powerful, practical theoretical framework for international mediation, demonstrate the importance of engaging all levels of society [in the process]."

Pat Johnson, formerly Interpeace Somali Region

Book Content List

Foreword— Ambassador Heidi Grau.

1. Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts.

The Framework

2. The SMALL Framework in a Nutshell.
3. Short-term Responses: Contextualized Mediation and Process Design.
4. Medium-term Responses: Developing Interim Peace Structures.
5. Long-term Responses: Toward a Peaceful State for All.
6. Linking Inner and Outer Peace: Effective and Authentic Peace Practitioners.

Case Studies in the Kenyan-Somali Context

7. The Kenya-Somali Context.
8. The Wajir Peace Process.
9. Mediating the Pokot-Samburu Conflict.
10. Mandera: Supporting a Mediation Process.
11. Mediation in the Kenyan Election Crisis.

Conclusions

12. Key Messages and Their Transfer to Other Contexts.

Related Documents

The following local peace agreements and related documents are discussed in the book (links to pdfs):

Further Resources

Selected publications by Dekha Ibrahim Abdi:

  • Ibrahim Abdi, D. and Jenner, J. (1998), “Breaking the Cycle of Violence in Wajir”, in Herr, R. and Zimmerman Herr, J. (eds.) Transforming Violence, Linking Local and Global Peacemaking, Scottdale: Herald Press.
  • Ibrahim Abdi, D. and Walker, B. (2004) “Policy Matters: The Importance of Policy in Peace Practice” in No Failure in Peace Work, The Life and Teaching of Dekha Ibrahim Abdi, 2nd edition, The Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, external page http://www.centrepeaceconflictstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Dekha-book-3-4-14.pdf 
  • Fisher, S., Ibrahim Abdi, D., Ludin, J., Smith, R., Williams, S. and Williams, S. (2000), Working with Conflict : Skills and Strategies for Action, London: Zed Books.

Films about Dekha:

Selected publications from Simon J. A. Mason:

  • Mason, S., Allen Nan, S., van de Loe, V. (2013) “Dancing through Conflict – Developing Intuition for Mediation”, in LeBaron, M., MacLeod, C. and Akland, A. (eds.) The Choreography of Resolution: Conflict, Movement, and Neuroscience, Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association, pp. 121–138.
  • Mason, S. (2012) “Peacemaking through Mediation”, in: Allen Nan, S., Mampilly, Z. and Bartoli, A. (eds.) Peacemaking: From Practice to Theory, Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford: ABC Clio.
  • Mason S. (2009), Insider Mediators, Exploring Their Key Role in Informal Peace Processes, Berghof Foundation for Peace Support.

In the Media

Contact and Acknowledgements

Contact: ) 

Acknowledgements: The support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Mediation Support Project, a joint project of the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich and swisspeace, funded by the Swiss FDFA, is gratefully acknowledged.

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