Conflict Resolution Training in Cyprus: An Assessment

It is rare to have an independent evaluation of conflict resolution efforts publicly available.  This report, based on the efforts funded by the Fulbright Commission---the main source of non-official conflict resolution work and the key initiator of bicommunal activity in Cyprus---is both comprehensive and insightful. 

INTRODUCTION

The Charge for the Development of this Report.

The charge for the development of an evaluation to assess the effects of the conflict resolution/communications training in Cyprus was developed by the Cyprus Fulbright Commission and published in the Fulbright Scholar Catalog of 1997.

The description in the Fulbright Catalog reads:

Conduct research and field work, including consultations and discussions with individuals in both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, to assess the viability of an ongoing training program in communication and intergroup relations skills. Evaluate the work done so far and work with groups already identified as suitable for training to enhance the political and social groundwork for accepting and supporting the project.

The Nature of this Report

This report was designed to evaluate the effect that conflict resolution trainings, sponsored by the Fulbright Commission, have had on the people who participated in them. However, as the research proceeded it became clear that the term conflict resolution training is used to describe several often intertwined streams of activities. There are conflict resolution trainings that offer training in communication skills, interest based negotiation, and various facilitation techniques and bring together Greek and Turkish Cypriots to meet one another and learn together. Also part of this group of activities are mono-communal mediation trainings that offer skills in both communications and several models for mediating people in conflict. Another stream of activity under this same umbrella term is the over twenty bicommunal dialogue groups that worked throughout 1997 bringing together Greek and Turkish Cypriots to discuss shared issues of interest, at times using communication skills or the Interactive Management decision-making methodology. Lastly there are bicommunal meetings, usually held off-island for a week or more at a time, where, after receiving some communications/conflict resolution training, Turkish and Greek Cypriots work on developing joint solutions for specific aspects of the Cyprus Conflict. Because many people interviewed participated in several of these streams and the term conflict resolution training is commonly used to describe them all, the findings, issues and recommendations in this report include information about all of these activities.

How this Report can be Used.

This report was designed and developed for use of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission but it can be useful to several groups of people active in the provision of conflict resolution training and associated bicommunal activities. The recommendations are meant to be used to directly improve program development and administration.

Second, this study contains information that can be useful to community members active in conflict resolution activities. There are ideas about possible future activities as well as feedback on past strategies that have worked well or may need to be rethought to continue their important efforts.

Lastly, this paper offers trainers, both Cypriot and foreign, ideas about what has been effective and what can be made more effective in the conflict resolution training design and implementation in Cyprus.

A Brief History of Fulbright Sponsored Conflict Resolution/Communications Training.

The Cyprus Fulbright Commission has been sponsoring bicommunal trainings and contacts between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities since the early 1990s. Its involvement in conflict resolution/ communications trainings gained programmatic importance in the activities of the Commission with the convergence of two events. A conflict resolution trainer from the U.S., Louise Diamond, after doing some preliminary trainings in Cyprus, approached the Fulbright Commission about sponsoring conflict resolution trainings. This was done with the backing of The Peace Center--a local peace organization in the Greek Cypriot community. The approach occurred not long after the political leaders of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities had signed an agreement that dialogue between the citizens of the two communities should be encouraged. Working with Diamond and others to provide Cypriots with communications/conflict resolution skills was seen a means to further actualize this political agreement and at the same time offer skills useful within and between the two communities.

METHODOLOGY

How Information was Gathered

The information upon which this report is based was collected by written survey (for foreign trainers) and individual interviews with Cypriot trainers, workshop participants, Fulbright Commission board and staff members and people who have observed the activities from their professional perspectives. Interviewees were both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Every effort was made to talk with equal numbers of people from both communities. The same individual completed all the interviews, the transcriptions and the development of this report. Individuals to be interviewed or surveyed were identified in the following ways:

- Foreign trainers were identified through the records of the Fulbright Commission and those of the Cyprus Consortium, an organization that subcontracted with a number of the foreign trainers.

- Cypriot trainers and training participants were identified by Fulbright staff members using their records. This list was then amended as trainers identified other trainers.

- Observers were selected based on recommendations from a variety of community members and scholars.

A structured interview process, utilizing standardized questions, was used in all interviews. Records of interviews were made by note taking during the interview. To assure accuracy, these notes were transcribed and then returned to the person interviewed for their review and approval. Any changes made by interviewees were made and the amended notes are the recorded interview transcripts.

The analysis of the information collected for this report has been done qualitatively. The findings are not presented in statistical form, but rather focus on the trends of thought and an occasional single pertinent observations of people interviewed. The reason for using this method is that it offers a more in-depth understanding of the issues. These understandings, in turn, can be applied to program enhancement--something a more statistical approach does not readily provide.

A number of the people interviewed commented at the end of their interview that for them, the process of reflecting on the trainings had been valuable in and of itself. For many, the intensity of the activities during the height of the conflict resolution trainings and bicommunal dialogue activities left little time or energy for this sort of reflection.

The Process for Developing this Study

The process for developing of this study was divided into two main phases. The first stage focused on determining the goal or goals identified for the conflict resolution training effort as they were understood by the sponsors and trainers. The second focused on gathering information from a variety of different perspectives to assess how well the identified goals were met and to gather recommendations on how trainings might proceed in the future. To determine the goals for offering conflict resolution training the following activities occurred:

Phase I

1. Review of the written materials produced during, and about the conflict resolution trainings during 1993-1998.

2. Interviews with the Fulbright staff who organized many of the trainings.

3. Interviews with key foreign trainers instrumental in introducing conflict resolution/ communication skills training during this time period.

4. Interviews with a Fulbright Commissioner who served during the initiation of conflict resolution training.

5. Interviews with American embassy staff familiar with bicommunal issues.

For this phase the following groups of people were interviewed.

4 Foreign trainers

3 Fulbright staff members

1 Fulbright Commission member

3 American Embassy staff members

Phase 2

1. Questionnaires and a structured interview format were developed based upon the identified training goals learned through these preliminary interviews.*

2. Foreign trainers were sent questionnaires.

3. People residing on the island were interviewed. The four groups interviewed were:

- Conflict resolution and communications trainers on the island

- Long term members of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission board and staff

- A sample of participants from six different conflict resolution trainings held between 1994** and 1998

- A sample of observers (people residing in Cyprus who are familiar with the bicommunal activities and conflict resolution trainings, but do not play an active part in them.)

* Both foreign and Cypriot trainers were asked identical questions. Structured interviews were also developed for the Fulbright Commission board and staff members, for training participants and for observers. In addition to questions about past training, all interviewees were asked for their recommendations about training that might be sponsored by the Cyprus Fulbright Commission in the future.

** (The conflict resolution trainings held in 1993 were ones to train many of the first group of Cypriot trainers--each of these individuals was interviewed as part of the Cypriot conflict resolution trainers interviews.)

Responses to Questionnaires and Interviews

Foreign Conflict Resolution Trainers (including past Fulbright Scholars )

Thirty two foreign trainers were identified. Two were unable to be located. Twelve foreign trainers (the majority of whom were Fulbright Scholars) responded.

Cypriot Conflict Resolution Trainers

Of the fifty-seven Cypriot trainers identified, forty-one were interviewed. All but two of the original trainers were interviewed and a sample of the more recently trained trainers was interviewed. This was done because newer trainers had little or no opportunity to train others in conflict resolution skills before the ban on bicommunal meetings went into effect. However, quite a few of these more recently trained individuals participated in the focus groups to which all were invited. Twenty-six individuals participated in two focus group meetings that covered future training needs.

Long Term Cypriot Fulbright Commission Members and Staff Members

Three Commission members were interviewed (an additional one declined) and three staff members were interviewed.

Training Participants

People to be interviewed as participants were selected from six of the forty seven conflict resolution trainings held between 1994 and 1998. The trainings were selected to assure variety in the ages and interest areas of participants. Four participants from each community were identified from each training--two. Every effort was made to balance gender in this selection. In all twenty-three participants were interviewed. In addition, two people who were originally identified as trainers turned out not to have been. They chose to be interviewed as participants.

Observers

Eight people, four from each community, were identified as people who were familiar with the bicommunal activities and the conflict resolution trainings, but who were not involved. Six observers were interviewed.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS IN THIS REPORT

It is important to explain how terms are defined for use in this report because it has become evident that different understandings of certain terms have created some confusion about the trainings, trainers, and the bicommunal activities in general.

Conflict Resolution Training. For the purposes of this report, the definition of conflict resolution trainings is limited to those trainings specifically offered for the purpose of teaching conflict resolution and communication skills and sponsored by the Fulbright Commission. By current count, these trainings number forty-seven and include both bicommunal and some mono-communal conflict resolution and mediation trainings.

Interactive Management. This computer-supported decision-making methodology was introduced on the island by Benjamin Broome. At first it was used as a means for the Cypriot conflict resolution trainers group to craft a vision statement and prioritize their future activities. This methodology was then used for decision-making in several of the bicommunal dialogue groups that grew out of this process. There are a group of individuals who have been trained in using this decision-making methodology. Trainers. This term as it is used locally refers to three different groups of people involved in conflict resolution activities. Originally the trainers were Cypriots who had been trained in 1994 by the Cyprus Consortium to train others in a particular methodology of conflict resolution/communications skills. Members of this group assisted foreign trainers as well as occasionally offering conflict resolution trainings independently.

However, in addition to offering conflict resolution trainings, these individuals formed a consensual, bicommunal body that directed the development of trainings and bicommunal activities on the island. In 1997, an additional two groups of Cypriots were trained as conflict resolution and Interactive Management trainers. These people became the second generation or new trainers and unfortunately, because the ban on bicommunal meetings was imposed shortly after their training, only a few had the opportunity to use their new training as conflict resolution trainers or facilitators of bicommunal dialogue groups.

Foreign Trainers. These individuals come largely, but not solely, from the United States and have provided training in conflict resolution and communication skills. Many have been persons associated with and contracted through the Cyprus Consortium--the joint effort of the Conflict Management Group (CMG) located in Boston, USA and the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD) from Washington DC. In addition, a number of foreign trainers have been visiting Fulbright Scholars.

Participants. Participants are people, other than trainers, who attended conflict resolution trainings. These people never intended to train others, but were interested in meeting members of the other community and learning communications/conflict resolution skills.

Observers. Observers are people familiar with the conflict resolution trainings and bicommunal activities. Most did not participate in the trainings or dialogue groups, but watched these activities in their professional capacities. A few were engaged in some of these activities and for one or another reason became inactive yet continue to observe the activities.

THE IDENTIFIED GOALS FOR OFFERING CONFLICT RESOLUTION TRAINING

How the Goals were Identified

Even though the Commission had been involved in sponsoring bicommunal trainings prior to beginning conflict resolution trainings, there is a general perception among the Commission and staff members interviewed that the impetus for sponsoring conflict resolution training came from outside the Commission itself. Some people credit Louise Diamond, a scholar invited to introduce conflict resolution skills on the island by Cypriots active in the local Peace Center (located in the Greek Cypriot community). Others attribute the impetus to the direction of the US Embassy and The American Center. Despite the differing understandings of its early initiation, there seems to be considerable agreement about the purpose of the trainings at the time Fulbright decided to sponsor trainings. The goals of the conflict resolution training have been distilled down to two direct goals and two indirect goals. They are:

Direct Goals

1. To develop positive relationships between members of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities by:

a. breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions of the other community,

b. increasing understanding of the perspectives of others, and

c. building trust between members of the two communities.

2. To offer opportunities to develop communication and conflict resolution skills that participants would use in their work, community and personal lives.

Indirect Goals

1. To build support for community reconciliation in conjunction with a political solution to the Cyprus Problem by:

a. enabling the development of friendships and professional relationships between members of the two communities,

b. encouraging a focus on the future,

c. developing joint projects to address shared social, environmental and economic concerns on the island.

2. To have participants understand the Cyprus Problem in new ways and generate creative ideas for a resolution to be used by policy makers or third parties to inform a settlement.

In short, as one person interviewed summarized it,

Expanded Goal

To mobilize additional people in both communities to actively work toward reconciliation and peace.

In order to consider the effects and effectiveness of the conflict resolution training, it will be important to think about how well both the original goals and the expanded one have been addressed, and what might be done to move further toward these goals.

INTERVIEW FINDINGS

Selection of Training Participants

The extension of invitations by the American ambassador to certain foreign trainings had two opposite effects. It offered status and credibility to the trainings, but it also raised suspicions about whether the US government was manipulating this grassroots effort.

According to quite a few people interviewed, there are a significant number of people who have for various reasons felt excluded from the trainings, who have skills and energy that could be well used in the conflict resolution and bicommunal efforts.

Conditions of Training

In general, most people were satisfied with the conditions of most trainings. Some people indicated an emotional attachment to Ledra Palace, even though most agreed that the lighting was inadequate and the heating and cooling system was poor. The presence of UN soldiers was discomfiting to several people. The new Fulbright Bicommunal Center is liked because it has well lit, well appointed and flexible meeting spaces. However, several people felt that it was too stark and disliked the limitations on smoking and eating in the building. Also, moving across the first meeting room to reach the second was noted as disruptive. One person was very uncomfortable with the ceiling microphones/speakers as they gave him a sense of being overheard. Passing the checkpoints to come into the buffer zone was uncomfortable to many participants and parting in separate directions at the end of trainings was often noted as sad and ironic.

Because the training was American based, offered predominantly by American trainers, a number of techniques used in the workshops were very foreign to Cypriot participants. The factor most often mentioned was that the use of English, while it was the shared language of both communities, limited the people who could attend and also created challenges to people in completing reading assignments and in communicating with all of the nuances and complexity necessary for this work. Misunderstandings due to the use of a second language were at times problematic.

Other respondents took exception to certain games, exercises and other experiential activities, viewing them as offensive and childish. A number of trainers noted their concern that the American trainers were not adequately familiar with the cultures in Cyprus to design appropriate exercises. Yet others felt that these unfamiliar ways of teaching were what made the trainings effective. Quite a few mentioned their discomfort with the tight agendas for the trainings and the rigidity of adhering to a set time frame.

An observation of one participant was that the Cypriot trainers seemed to take on an unnatural affect when they used the conflict resolution methods. This person felt that the Cypriot trainers had not been able to somehow adapt what they learned into something natural to themselves. The resulting unnatural mannerisms were distracting to participants.

Several participants felt that when trainings were compressed into just a few days, the material presented was too dense and it was not possible to absorb and digest valuable information. They also expressed distress at the long study days (12 hours/day) in these intense sessions and felt that after a point it was not possible to concentrate.

Expectations about Conflict Resolution Training

Understanding and Acceptance of the Training Concepts

There is almost unanimous agreement among trainers and participants that the concepts presented in the conflict resolution trainings were readily understood by participants. On the other hand, several trainers and participants noted that these easily understood concepts and skills were much more difficult to put into practice. Trainers observed that participants often did well applying the skills and concepts during workshop exercises, but applying them in highly emotional discussions and outside the workshop setting was far more challenging--for trainers and participants alike.

The method of teaching through games, exercises and other experiential methods got mixed reviews from people interviewed. Frequently people commented that exercises often made a good point, but that they felt childish being asked to hold hands, tell others personal details of their lives or participate in dramatized exercises. On the other hand, many people commented that role playing was a good experience and that they needed much more of it--although often they wished for Cypriot-based role plays other than those the trainers had developed from their home culture. Some trainers expressed the wish for a book of the exercises and games used by various American trainers, hoping that they could modify these to better fit the Cypriot culture and situation. Almost all interviewees felt that all Cypriots had a great capacity for friendship and understanding and reaching out to one another as human beings. The development of empathy for the pain members of each community have suffered and understanding of their shared wishes for a peaceful and happy life for their families and children was a common experience for many in the trainings

Change in Behaviors, Attitudes and Trust

While the following idea was not widespread among the people interviewed, it was noted frequently enough that it is worthy of repeating in this report. An unanticipated effect of bicommunal trainings and meetings was the stronger recognition in each community of not only what it shares with the other, but also its uniqueness from the other. One person captured this idea saying:

The type of change that occurred as the result of training was very paradoxical. People really did change their perceptions of the [other] community as a result of the training, but at the same time the needs for their own community were identified and strengthened. They learned how to talk with [the other community] and one another, but at the end of the day, they came away with their own positions regarding [their own] community.

Or as another participant described the change he experienced.

When I first attended the trainings, I thought my own leaders were not good and felt that the people of the [other community] were my brothers and sisters. When I attended, I saw the real relationships in [that community] , and now I see them as neighbors and friends, not brothers and sisters. I now feel less antipathy toward the leaders in my community and less sympathy for the [other community]. I was too idealistic. But I have not lost my motivation for a peaceful and comfortable solution.

Use of Skills

There are mixed views about the use of the communication and conflict resolution skills in arenas outside of conflict resolution training sessions. Many trainers and participants say that they use these skills in their families and workplaces to varying degrees, but only a few are aware of use by others. This is one of the few issues in which there was a notable differential reported between respondents from the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities. Communication skills and the Interactive Management process, as reported in the interviews, seem to be more widely used within Turkish Cypriot unions, governmental units and NGOs. Both communities have incorporated meeting management skills such as sitting in a circle, debriefing and the use of flip charts/note taking. Many respondents noted the difficulty of applying their skills in an environment in which they alone, or only a few others were familiar with them. The majority reported giving up trying to use the skills after receiving several negative responses to their efforts.

Friendships and Professional Relationships

Every person interviewed noted that many friendships across the communities have developed as the result of the training experiences. Warm and deep feelings between individuals continue despite the ban on meetings over the past year. Professional relationships are reported as less common, although there are examples of business persons, educators and others who combine friendship with exchanging professional ideas.

Several participants also noted that people from the same community who had not previously known one another developed both friendships and professional relationships as a result of participation in conflict resolution trainings and bicommunal dialogue groups.

Recommendations for Further Training and Supportive Functions

Respondents recommendations for additional training generally fell into two categories-- first, conflict resolution skills and associated information and second, skills for developing and maintaining structures to support these efforts. Topics recommended that are directly related to conflict resolution were as follows:

- Alternative grass roots conflict resolution methodologies (i.e. those used in Israel/Palestine or Ireland)

- Cross-cultural management and communication

- Aikido

- Coexistence

- Dialogue vs. debate

- Advanced mediation skills

- Negotiation

- The role of gender in conflict resolution

- Dealing with loss

- Forgiveness

- Basic human behavior

- Sociology

Topics recommended related to the management and administrative functions to support conflict resolution efforts were:

- Team building

- Public presentation skills

- Advanced Interactive Management skills

- Problem analysis

- Leadership development

- NGO development and management

- Project management techniques

- Lobbying techniques

- Getting and giving effective feedback

- Creative thinking skills

- Training methodologies

- Change management methods

- Meeting management skills

Quite a few of those interviewed articulated the wish to have input into both the topics and training design. In addition to recommending further training in these topics, there were a number of helpful recommendations about how these trainings might be either structured or supported. Holding trainings in cities and villages outside of Nicosia was recommended a number of times.

Among trainers, an accessible library of books, articles and videos about conflict resolution and related issues was noted as needed. Along the lines of creating a conflict resolution reference archive, interviewees recommended including the training materials, exercises and games taught by Fulbright Scholars and other foreign trainers. Developing Cyprus relevant case studies and role plays and translating some of this material into Greek and Turkish were also recommended.

Among the trainers, both Greek and Turkish Cypriot, there was a strongly expressed desire to have an administrative and training space in addition to the Fulbright Bicommunal Center.

Many trainers noted that they and their fellows feel a lack of confidence about the depth of the knowledge and skills for offering training. Many wanted additional training, particularly training that offered the theoretical foundations upon which conflict methodologies were based. They also wanted to learn about the several different methodologies being used throughout the world. Lastly several trainers, particularly ones who did not have an opportunity to practice their skills before the ban on bicommunal meetings was imposed, would like opportunities to hone their skills and get constructive feedback through case studies and role plays. Likewise, many trainers, seasoned and newer, expressed the need to have a support system, either a peer supervision group, like those used in other helping professions, or a conflict resolution professional who can offer support and guidance to trainers.