Marc Gopin Scholar Says Diplomats Should Consider Religious, Cultural Insights to Solve Conflict by John Shaw Marc Gopin has devoted his professional career to studying the connections among religion, diplomacy and conflict resolution, and heís convinced that diplomats should consider using religious symbols and cultural traditions in their work. "Diplomats should realize that religious and cultural traditions are capable of moving people in deep ways to new realities," Gopin said in an interview with The Washington Diplomat. "We have a world in which an unprecedented number of people are running back to religion and tradition as a source of identity. Diplomats need new strategies to reach those people who have lost faith with modernity." Gopin is a professor at George Mason Universityís Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, and he is director of the instituteís Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. Gopin said heís convinced that traditional approaches to diplomacy are not adequate to confront todayís combustible challenges of poverty, ethnic tension and global terrorism. "Diplomacyís great strength is its pragmatism. Its greatest weakness is that this pragmatism does not extend itself into a culture that is broad-based. It is an elite pragmatism. Itís a pragmatism of political, military and business leaders," Gopin said. "There are many more actors now than state actors," he added. "Diplomacy needs to catch up with that and realize that much of what diplomacy should be about is persuasion, not just of the enemy sitting across the table from you, but persuasion of large populations so they buy into constructive change." A native of Massachusetts, Gopin received a doctorate in religious ethics from Brandeis University and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and Yeshiva University in 1983. He has lectured on conflict resolution at Columbia, Harvard, Princeton and Yale. As a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Gopin helped to train aspiring diplomats. He has also lectured at the State Departmentís Foreign Service Institute and other government agencies. In addition, he has participated in back-channel diplomacy with religious, political and military leaders on both sides of conflicts, especially in the Middle East. Gopin is the author of three books: "Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence and Peacemaking," "Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East," and "Healing the Heart of Conflict." In "Healing the Heart of Conflict," which was just published, Gopin outlines practical steps for resolving conflicts, whether they arise between individuals or between countries. He has developed an eight-step process to understand the nature of conflicts and confront them, and he said these insights are applicable for diplomats and others trying to overcome conflicts. He urges people to examine the roots of conflict within themselves; to identify and confront the positive and negative emotions at the heart of conflicts and turn them into vehicles of growth; to escape the boundaries of their problems by coming to know other conflicts; to listen to every cue that may help them enter into the world of those around them; to observe cues that may help them enter into the world of others; to step back from webs of conflict and envision ways that will transform their lives and relationships; to take actions in their lives that flow from the wisdom they acquired; and to incorporate lessons learned into every word they use. Diplomacy, he argues, has tended to foist peace accords upon populations, expecting that the promises contained in official documents will be enough to end divisions and acrimony that have existed for centuries. "Diplomacy has thus far demonstrated little understanding of how to actually inculcate the values of coexistence and human rights in the context of many unresolved grievances that run very deep," he said. "There are resources that diplomacy needs to draw upon in order to be the glue that holds together difficult change as people move forward." Gopin added that diplomacy must continue to evolve so that strategies of achieving social ends, especially peace treaties, are coupled with methods of social change that reach the hearts and minds of those on the ground. "There is a need for broader and deeper methods of building peace." Gopin said it is crucial to realize that culture and religion matter a great deal in the formation of conflict and should play creative roles in conflict prevention, resolution and reconciliation. He acknowledged that religion has been a major contributor to war, bloodshed, hatred and intolerance over the centuries. But he added that religions have also provided civilizations with cultural commitments to peace-related values, including empathy, an openness to and even love for strangers, the suppression of ego and acquisitiveness, human rights, unilateral gestures of forgiveness and humility, interpersonal repentance and the acceptance of responsibility for past errors. Gopin is convinced that organized religions can be major assets in the establishment of a global civilization that limits conflict to nonviolent, constructive expressions. "If they want to truly engage the worldís religious people as authentic partners in constructing the future of civilizations, diplomats must fundamentally reconstruct their present interventions in conflict." Gopin said heís intrigued by the challenge of developing peacemaking strategies for complex conflicts in which religion and culture are highly relevant. His training programs for diplomats examine cycles of conflict and explore how different religious traditions deal with conflict. These sessions use role-playing techniques to help participants devise solutions, and frequently, religious and cultural insights are employed to defuse conflicts. Gopin said he emphasizes the importance of timing when training diplomats. "Timing is the key issue in conflict resolutionóto know when a maximalist approach is appropriate and when a minimalist approach makes sense," he said. "When is a tragedy an opportunity and when is it just part of the continuing cycle and you just keep your head down?" Gopin said itís important to appreciate the power of gestures that are based on a subtle understanding of other cultures. "A diplomat needs to be schooled in understanding the appropriateness or inappropriateness of gesturesówhen theyíre going to work and when theyíre not going to work," he said. "My sense is that gestures are far more powerfulófor good or illóthan written documents. When you get gestures right they have an enormous impact and when you get them wrong it has a big impact as well. Gestures of respect and empathy are very important. When done at the appropriate time they can give off cycles of good will." Gopin also urges diplomats to consider problems not just from the vantage point of elites, but from the eyes of those on the ground who will have to live with agreements. "You shouldnít cut deals unless there are mechanisms in place to bring along the rest of the population, not just economic incentives but cultural and religious incentives when necessary," he said. "Itís important not to give up on the non-rational, emotional, cultural, religious side of conflicts. Because thatís giving up on millions of people and treats them as if they are cattle to be pushed one way or another. Thatís when demagogues and fascists move in." Gopin devotes much of his time heading up the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason. The central goal of the center is to present a new approach to reducing global religious violence by incorporating the best moral practices of religious traditions and communities into forward-thinking strategies of diplomacy, civil society building and democracy. It offers public presentations to governments and nongovernmental organizations; formal training in religion, diplomacy and conflict analysis; consulting for agencies dealing with religion and conflict; recommendations for ongoing conflicts; and support of religious moderates in international disputes. The center is also active in research. It analyzes religious traditions and practices for new areas of creative diplomacy, examines internal struggles within religious communities, and searches for ways that religious practices can heal conflictsóways that have been beyond the reach of normal diplomacy and conflict resolution. Gopin said he i s intrigued by the emergence of two seemingly contradictory trends in the modern world: the rise of religious fundamentalism in many faiths and the less appreciated commitment of most people in the world to religious tolerance and acceptance. "I think there is far more coexistence between different religions than you see on the news. Our biggest adversary in terms of the stability of civilizations is not inter-group hatred or violence. It is the fear of it. And when it does happen, fear moves people into their tribal groups and places," he said. "The need to feel safe is the deepest human need of all. We are in a world in enormous flux. People are reaching for greater clarity of their valuesóall the more reason for people who run states and businesses to be respectful of that." John Shaw is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.