Inter-cultural dialogue in crises – a comparative study

Abstract:

Diplomacy is all about mediating between political units. It is de ned by procedures that allow adversaries, even enemies, to talk to each other. At first glance, therefore, the identification of ‘dialogue’ as a central tool of foreign policy is trivial, since diplomacy must necessarily imply dialogue of some sort. But the question of the nature and effects of dialogue in preventing and resolving conflicts go far beyond the question of whether one should talk to one's enemies. One central issue is whether one should refrain from engaging in dialogue with some actors because they hold values that are diametrically opposed to ones’ own. Another is whether dialogue – alone or in combination with other policies – is effective in preventing and resolving conflicts.