CULTIVATING RIPENESS THROUGH THIRD PARTY INTERVENTION: COMPARING CAMBODIA AND LEBANON

Time ultimately resolves conflict, but time needs some help. Instead of war parties waiting for a ?hurting stalemate? and disastrous deadlocks, third parties could cultivate ripeness. This study examines this concept in terms of a comparative analysis of the intractable war situations in Cambodia (1991) and Lebanon (1989), investigating the capability of intervention strategies to cultivate ripeness and make peace. The study provides a theoretical review examining the concepts of: conflict, mediation, and the theory of ripeness. The study concludes that there were many ripe moments in both conflicts and the role played by mediators in facilitating the maturation of these conflicts to make them ripe for mediation and resolution was significant, regardless of the stage of the conflict. Agreements were reached by a process of cultivated ripeness induced through intervention and the use of mediation techniques. The end result was an enforced peace.

Nicole Nasseh was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and received her Master's degree in Political Studies at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Nicole has solid experience in the field of socio-economic development and is currently working on a Peace Building Project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).