Making the ‘right’ decision can be one of the hardest parts of the mediation process. Once understanding of has been enhanced and options thoroughly explored – how best to choose a way forward? One of the great Enlightenment thinkers may be able to offer some help. Adam Smith is best known for ‘The Wealth of…
In recent months, Brazilian startups such as Hurb and 123 Milhas, two prominent players in the country’s tourism market, have encountered significant financial challenges. These companies offered highly attractive promotional travel packages at exceptionally low prices, creating a large customer base. However, when the financial pressures grew, both companies found themselves unable to fulfill some…
I’ve just been in London presenting at the terrific UIA Mediation Forum and my daily train travels constantly exposed me to this image. As the conference themes developed, the image took on an even more significant meaning for me. Let me explain. An early speaker, Kimberlee Kovach (Founding Officer and Past Chair of the…
Rafal Morek’s post last month, Investor-state disputes: how arbitration and mediation can intertwine to provide more resonant solutions, emphasized the increasing use of mediation to resolve investor-state disputes, albeit still confined to a small number of cases under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention. As the late Professor Derek Roebuck noted…
This is Part 1 of a two-part blogpost. Part 2 will be published in February 2024. This blog explores what narrative means for us in the field of conflict resolution as we navigate an increasingly complex global context. We humans love stories. Wherever we are in the world, whatever our culture, our beliefs and our…
Do you like this pair of cufflinks? This blog post is my sharing on how I had managed to purchase this pair of cufflinks in Melbourne. I had taken a break in late October to travel to Melbourne to see my son who is doing a master’s degree there. On 26 October 2023, we…
In 2017, I wrote one of my most read articles on Kluwer: Elementary my dear Watson! At that time, artificial intelligence (AI) had already invaded our lives and much was being discussed about its potential to replace human beings. In my article, I wondered about the possibility of AI replacing the mediator. And the answer,…
As long ago as 1981, in the very first edition of Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Roger Fisher and William Ury proposed the following novel negotiation method: separate the people from the problem focus on interests, not positions invent options for mutual gain and insist on using objective criteria. Later…
Neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow’s latest book ‘Joined-up Thinking – The science of collective intelligence’ makes the case that the range and complexity of the challenges that face us a species require an even greater focus on working together to harness our intelligence in its broadest sense. She argues that even though our success as a species…
