Negotiating between cultures (Judeo-Christian and Arabic): dual diagnosis to build Peace

Abstract

The management of conflicts with a strong cultural component has a long tradition in peace studies. The current situation in Syria, exiled Muslims and not Muslims, Islam and the high immigration wave across Europe constitute a hot issue. There are national and international seminaries, which under the title of intercultural mediation, pretend to sort these issues out, and also, we can see daily news concerning these topics. Hence, we can reflect for a moment and ask ourselves: what we are talking about when we talk about these issues?

We need to admit that the values in which Human rights are based on, though declared universal, are far from being immutable. I would like to assess whether the multiple and different situations that conflicts with a strong cultural component could generate are being analyzed properly. For that purpose, I will make use of a methodological analysis which starts with the theory of conflicts, continues with the analysis or mapping conflict and finishes with the design of intervention strategies. This article will show not only that the diagnosis being performed incorrectly, but also that the proposed intervention methodology is wrong.