Thursday, 20 March 2014

The buoy on offer

It is always a serious mistake to ignore the feelings of each part to a conflict.

Conflicts do escalate because of feelings, matters of honour, fear of being perceived as weak, of losing the face, and other issues of national pride and history. The understanding of is of national interest gets then blurred. The obvious economic cost of war is disregarded, as it is the human dimension. The flag becomes more important than the individual.

Mediation is about finding a way out from such powerful irrationality.

The UN Secretary-general´s visit to Moscow and then to Kiev is a critical move that should be seized as a much needed buoy in very choppy waters. 

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