You are viewing all entries from October 2015.

Nearly a decade ago, I heard Dennis Ross, the senior mediator appointed by President Clinton, speak at an Association of Business Trial Lawyers program where he reflected on his role as lead mediator of the Israeli and Palestinian dispute.  Ambassador Ross shared his most significant learning opportunity from the process:  He failed to ensure that the representatives from each side - especially Yasser Arafat - had, in fact, been communicating with and obtaining buy-in from his respective constituents.  Ambassador Ross believed that this failure to communicate with constituents was the primary reason why the negotiations failed.