Читать книгу Mediation - Alain Lempereur - Страница 55

In the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, with the arrival of Khomeini in power, a grave diplomatic crisis was precipitated when US citizens were held as hostages at the US embassy in Tehran in 1980–1981. There was no confidence between the two countries. On both sides, an outrageous rhetoric obstructed all contact. Algeria, on the other hand, enjoyed the confidence of both sides. Algerian diplomacy opened channels of communication between the two camps, working toward the resolution of the crisis.

These seven justifications above underline how mediation helps to go beyond an unsatisfying past, bereft of communication and trust, dominated by an escalation of negative emotions, the imbroglio of problems and reciprocal misunderstanding, marked by the absence of shared rules and a meeting space. Mediation happens at a particular juncture in order to understand the past and try to move toward a promising future.