{"id":225308,"date":"2022-12-12T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=225308"},"modified":"2024-11-26T21:25:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T21:25:26","slug":"building-stronger-track-two-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/12\/building-stronger-track-two-networks\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Stronger Track-Two Networks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The continuing armed conflict in Ukraine and the likelihood that the conflict will drag on through the winter–as well as armed conflicts in other parts of the world–forces us to ask if more can be done on the part of non-governmental organizations to encourage negotiations in good faith.\u00a0 Lengthy armed conflict severely weakens the social fabric of a country by destroying communities, engendering a culture of violence, and creating a sense of mistrust that makes collaboration within the society difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n

There have been efforts through the United Nations and individual governments to encourage ceasefires and negotiations.\u00a0 It must be hoped that such governmental efforts will continue.\u00a0 These governmental efforts can be called Track-One.\u00a0Track-One diplomacy is official government negotiations with their backup resources of research and intelligence agencies.\u00a0 Track-One can make formal proposals within the United Nations or in public declarations to other governments.\u00a0 There can also be Track-One “back channels” of informal or unofficial contacts.<\/p>\n

Track-Two diplomacy is citizen-based efforts through research, policy proposals, mediation, and the creation of collaborative relations. Track-Two is a non-official effort, usually carried out by a\u00a0 non-governmental organization often in cooperation with academic institutions or at least with individuals in the peace research field.\u00a0 \u00a0No non-governmental\u00a0 organization has the resources of a government.\u00a0 Thus Track-Two efforts must often work cooperatively in trans-frontier alliances.<\/p>\n

Track-Two efforts are becoming increasingly important in world politics.\u00a0 Increasingly armed conflicts exist between a government and one or more non-governmental armed movements as we see in Yemen, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kurds in Syria, the ethnic minorities in Myanmar.\u00a0 Governments are often reluctant to negotiate openly with such armed groups fearing to give them legitimacy or fearing to encourage action by other such armed movements.\u00a0 Yet peace negotiations require discussions with such groups.\u00a0 Track-Two efforts can be carried on in unofficial ways which governments can deny later if needs be.<\/p>\n

The armed conflicts in former Yugoslavia highlighted the difficulties of non-governmental efforts at peacebuilding although the European Parliament had adopted a resolution in which it encouraged grassroots activities against the wars.\u00a0 These efforts were led by churches, educational institutions, and cultural centers.\u00a0 However, they had relatively little impact in stopping the violence.\u00a0 They may, however, have a more long-term role in building bridges across the resulting national and religious divides.<\/p>\n

Preparing the ground among non-governmental representatives, peace researchers, and media personnel is an important task.\u00a0 Leadership rarely arises spontaneously.\u00a0 There is a need for preparation and training.\u00a0 There is also a need for continuity.\u00a0 There are rarely sudden victories in Track-Two efforts.\u00a0 \u00a0One must be ready to try again the next day.\u00a0 There is also a need to keep doors open to government representatives. As the Quaker economist and peace worker Kenneth Boulding wrote:<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 “When Track-One will not do,<\/em>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 We have to travel on Track-Two.<\/em>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 But for results to be abiding,<\/em>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The Tracks must meet upon some siding.”<\/em><\/p>\n

NOTES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hussein Agha, Shai Feldman, Ahmad Khahdi, Zeev Schiff.\u00a0 Track II Diplomacy: Lessons from the Middle East<\/em> (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003)<\/p>\n

John Davies and Eddy Kaufman.\u00a0 Second Track\/Citizen’s Diplomacy: Concepts and Techniques for Conflict<\/em> (Lanham. MD: Rowman and Litlefield, 2002)<\/p>\n

W.E.De<\/a> Mars.\u00a0 NGOs and Transnational Networks<\/em> (London: Pluto Press, 2005)<\/p>\n

P. Willets (Ed.) The Conscience of the World: The Influence of NGOs in the UN System<\/em> (London: Hurst, 1996)<\/p>\n

______________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Ren\u00e9 Wadlow is a member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a><\/em>. He <\/em>is President of the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with consultative status with ECOSOC, the United Nations organ facilitating international cooperation and problem-solving in economic and social issues, and editor of <\/em>Transnational Perspectives.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The continuing armed conflict in Ukraine and the likelihood that the conflict will drag on through the winter–as well as armed conflicts in other parts of the world–forces us to ask if more can be done on the part of non-governmental organizations to encourage negotiations in good faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[2628,485,2433,2970,2133,481],"class_list":["post-225308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","tag-conflict-mediation","tag-diplomacy","tag-peacebuilding","tag-track-i","tag-track-ii","tag-warfare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":274885,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225308\/revisions\/274885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}