Evaluation of Conflict
Resolution, continued

ISSUES

Many People called Trainer

As mentioned earlier, there has been a lack of clarity about the definition and role of a person with the title of trainer in the conflict resolution activities. This has led to misunderstandings and feelings of exclusion among trainers and participants alike. Among the people called trainers, there were three groups, some of which overlap in their membership. There was a group of conflict resolution trainers established after the Training of Trainers (TOT) offered by the Cyprus Consortium in 1994 and 1995. This group had gone through a number of conflict resolution training programs with Louise Diamond in advance of these TOT trainings. The group became known as the Aold trainers@ and over the years between 1994 and 1997 its members became a core group of individuals who assisted foreign trainers offering conflict resolution trainings and who worked with Ben Broome using the Interactive Management decision-making methodology to develop a vision and strategies for bicommunal activities.

Then in 1997 there were two additional trainings--a second Training of Trainers offered by the Cyprus Consortium and a training on the use of Interactive Management offered by Ben Broome. The people attending these workshops came to be called the new trainers. All or many of the new trainers were active in bicommunal groups prior to their training and had received conflict resolution training to one level or another. However, they have a mix of expertise, capabilities and levels of experience as trainers. While a few of these new trainers had experience facilitating bicommunal dialogue groups and some have offered mono-communal trainings, as a whole, the imposition of the ban on bicommunal meetings has hampered their chance to use their newly acquired skills. The term trainer seems to be used to describe all of these individuals. Yet these groups and the individuals in them have different capabilities and skills and fulfill differing roles in bicommunal work.

Many Understandings of the Term Trainer.

There seems to be a belief among people interested in becoming active in the bicommunal efforts, that becoming a trainer is the avenue to involvement. There are people who indicate feeling excluded from or unrecognized for their work in bicommunal dialogue groups because they are not trainers. A number of people interviewed felt strongly that there is need for a procedure for interested individuals who have a conflict resolution background to gain the skills to serve as trainers. However, based on the comments of several people, it seems that for some, the desire to become a trainer represents the desire to assist in the design and governance of the bicommunal activities, more than it may be to actually offer training or facilitation per se. This confusion is compounded by the fact that very little training has been offered by Cypriot trainers in the last year and a half.

Leadership

The leadership role in the bicommunal work rested with the old trainers until 1997. There were many comments by others, who are generally supportive of bicommunal efforts, that they felt excluded from the input in the decisions regarding these activities. The new trainers felt that as trainers, they too should participate in the leadership. At present, both communities have assembled steering committees that include representatives from both generations of trainers. The Turkish Cypriot committee is meeting regularly and has drawn up subcommittees and plans for activities. The Greek Cypriot committee seems to be struggling in its formation. Within it are a number of divergent directions and efforts at leadership. In addition, there is still further definition needed to clarify the roles of bicommunal group facilitators, Interactive Management trainers, conflict resolution trainers and the people who are taking a leadership role in guiding the development of bicommunal and conflict resolution activities in both communities.

Personal Reconciliation versus Social Change

When the goals of the conflict resolution training were listed earlier in this report, it was noted that the goals for conflict resolution training have evolved over the course of the past five years. The primary goal at the time of introduction of conflict resolution and communication training, and in the first years of activity, was largely affecting personal change and reconciliation--the breaking down of stereotypes of the other community, gaining empathy and understanding of the events and experiences of people in the other community and developing caring and deep relationships between people of both communities. (Conflict resolution skills were secondary, in that they were viewed as the tools to facilitate these personal changes.) As Cypriot trainers became more active in offering training and facilitation, a gradual but important change occurred. In the words of one of the Cypriot trainers, Amy expectation for the outcome of the training was to mobilize personal responsibility in people so they would make contributions to the peace movement as activists and change agents.@ Or as another described conflict resolution training, AIt is really not about training, it is about organizing.@ While all the primary goals remain, the goal of social change has become more and more important. The development of a Acritical mass@ of people committed to bicommunal harmony became a new goal, one requiring new strategies. This moved the focus of conflict resolution training and other bicommunal activities from the intense, cathartic personal change experience, the goal of earlier trainings, to the transmission of the values of bicommunal harmony to a much larger segment of each community. This was a significant turn in the development of the bicommunal movement and one generated largely by Cypriots themselves, rather than by third parties.

There seems to be significant differences of opinion among the trainers about how to address this newer goal. Some feel strongly that providing individuals with the type of cathartic experience that changed their own perceptions and understandings is enough to facilitate and maintain a harmonious bicommunal island. Others feel strongly the need for a multifaceted social change effort that includes, but goes beyond, the conflict resolution trainings and bicommunal dialogue groups to joint projects for community improvement and mono-communal efforts to offer communication and conflict resolution training to many more people within each community. A few trainers and observers felt that the effort of conflict resolution training and bicommunal dialogue Adistract@ Cypriots from strongly influencing the larger political issues that have the authorities of both communities deadlocked.

Differing Social Change Strategies

It is also notable that there appears to be a difference in philosophy between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot bicommunal leaders about how to influence social change. It is important to emphasize that each community=s philosophy is a valid one and that both of these philosophies are effective ways to initiate social change. However, because these approaches differ, there has been a lack of understanding among people of each community about why the others act as they do.

Among many of the Turkish Cypriot bicommunal activists, there is the belief that social change is best achieved by actively influencing the social and political systems within the society. Trainers run for office, work within the offices of the authorities and actively engage in public dialogue through the press. Mono-communal trainings to teach communication skills have been held in offices providing public services, in unions and among women=s groups as well as in others types of organizations. There is a commitment among quite a few of the people interviewed, that in order to effectively make social change, people from the full spectrum of political and social positions need to be included. In general, these people are espousing a strategy for social change from Awithin the system.@

In the Greek Cypriot community, there has been more effort placed on making change from outside the social and political system. Effort has been placed in generating ideas for bicommunal harmony to present to policy makers, most often third parties, in order to influence their thinking and decisions. Public dialogue has also gone on, but often from a stance outside the political system, offering ideas specifically generated from outside that system. The majority of trainers adhere to a sense that bicommunal dialogue is essential and mono-communal trainings and dialogues are of lesser importance. This Aoutside the system approach@ is based upon the concept that innovative ideas can best be developed and conveyed by people uninfluenced by the forces at work on people within the system.

Members of each community express concern about and do not understand the other community=s actions. The view of a number of Greek Cypriots interviewed, is that they fear that Turkish Cypriot bicommunal workers who work closely with the Turkish Cypriot authorities have given up their belief in bicommunal harmony. Likewise, Turkish Cypriots wonder why Greek Cypriots do not actively engage in their political system and try to change it directly. Because they have each embraced a different and equally valid strategy toward social change, they misunderstand the other. Recognizing that social change is often made using both of these strategies may help reconcile these misunderstandings.

The Politicization of Conflict Resolution Training

In both communities, there have been efforts to engage persons with a broad spectrum of political affiliations and social roles in conflict resolution trainings. However, over time conflict resolution training in both communities has become associated with political parties of the left--in both communities the opposition parties to those in power. This occurred for several reasons. One was distrust among the trainers and activists because they belonged to different political parties. A second was the very basis for the conflict methodology, the premise that when people get to know and empathize with one another they will be more harmonious does not support the goals of nationalists in either community to live within communities dominated by a single ethnic group. Lastly, the media in both communities labels people involved in conflict resolution activities of all kinds as traitors. Several people interviewed reported that they believe that many people are deterred from participation in conflict resolution training or bicommunal dialogue, not because they are not interested in the training or the dialogue, but because of this politicization and their fear of being ostracized or marginalized within their own societies.

There is an additional form of politicization at work as well. The fact that Americans were the foreign trainers introducing conflict resolution methods raised suspicions in both communities that somehow the US government is imposing its will or manipulating people of the communities. In addition, higher profile activities in which the US Embassy promoted bicommunalism also unintentionally politicized the conflict resolution activities. An example noted by an interviewee, was the is US Embassy-Cyprus web page listing several bicommunal activities. The inclusion and format of this listing implies that these activities are ones fostered by the US government and overseen by US Embassy staff. Aside from being misleading in some cases, this information and the way it is presented supports suppositions that Cypriot-initiated conflict resolution trainings and bicommunal dialogues are at the direction of the United States government. Cypriots listed on this web page (some without their knowledge or permission) are being discredited in their own communities as puppets of the US government by those with anti-American sentiments. Because bicommunal activities are being visibly tied to the US government, Cypriots who might otherwise be supportive of bicommunal or conflict resolution activities avoid supporting it and criticize their fellow Cypriots for their involvement. According to several people, even the phrase conflict resolution now carries the connotation of American manipulation.

The existence of a position within the US Embassy of a Bicommunal Activities Coordinator has further politicized many of the conflict resolution activities and has created a great deal of confusion about the goals, responsibility and leadership of activities originally intended to be grassroots efforts. This position, its value and how it fits with the grassroots nature of track two conflict resolution activities should be seriously reconsidered.

Language as a Barrier

Despite the fact that young people in both communities study English, they vary in proficiency. Many older people in each community have limited knowledge of the language. People=s English proficiency served to both limit the people who could become involved in the conflict resolution activities and to screen for people of higher education and socioeconomic levels. People most proficient in English had frequently participated in advanced education in English speaking countries. Other highly educated persons, schooled in other languages, were screened out, as were persons of lower levels of education or income. Interviewees reported that they knew of many people who felt either inhibited or unwelcome at conflict resolution trainings because of their lack proficiency in the English language.

Selection of Training Participants

The selection of training participants is a much discussed and debated issue. Even among the people involved in conflict resolution activities from the very beginning, there seem to be different understandings about how people are selected to participate in conflict resolution trainings. Consistent among all the many views is that people were identified and invited to participate in conflict resolution training and bicommunal dialogue largely through friendship and family networks. The consensus is that the process is not open and inclusive. This strategy of using networks of known individuals was based on the feeling that these people would be most receptive to conflict resolution methods and the idea of bicommunal harmony. But an unintended result is the view that the process is exclusive and closed.

Several persons noted that they had wanted to participate in the trainings, but felt shut out. There seems to be confusion in most people=s minds around how people were selected to attend trainings. Different people attribute selection of participants to the third party trainers, the visiting Fulbright Scholars, the Cypriot bicommunal trainers group, The Fulbright Commission and the US Embassy staff. There are also mixed perceptions about why persons were selected to attend trainings, particularly those held abroad. Some see the selections as an effort of the US Embassy, using the Fulbright Commission as a Afront to buy friends.@ Others believe that decisions about who attends foreign trainings were dispensed as rewards or enticements for people=s work on bicommunal efforts. Whether or not any of the beliefs are correct, the fact that there is so much skepticism about the process speaks to the need to make the selection process as understandable and defensible as possible. (No matter how transparent a selection process is, there will always be disappointed people, but the current level of disaffection for the process is damaging the credibility of all involved.)

The Fulbright Commission=s Role and Reputation

Many of the questions raised about how people are selected to attend trainings are having an impact on the perception and reputation of the Fulbright Commission. The Commission has earned a reputation for using a rigorous and transparent selection process in dispensing its scholarship. However, the lack of clarity surrounding the selection process for off-island conflict resolution trainings, plus a concern that the US Embassy is imposing its own agenda on the Commission and, lastly, a fear that the dollars used for these foreign trainings are being diverted from the funds for scholarships for Cypriot young people are all tarnishing the Commission=s reputation in both communities.

In addition there has been considerable concern raised among people in both communities about the Fulbright Commission=s role and its perceived loss of autonomy. There is a widespread belief that there is a heavy-handed involvement of the US Embassy in Fulbright=s decisions that raises questions about Fulbright=s role as an autonomous agency acting on behalf of Cypriots= best interests. Several people interviewed felt that Fulbright=s sponsorship of bicommunal work has been badly compromised because of this belief. The result is that conflict resolution and bicommunal efforts are now being tainted with anti-American feelings in both communities. Several trainers felt that the US Embassy is set upon controlling the bicommunal activities. This view is based, in part, upon a belief that some individual US Embassy staff members see these activities as means to further their own careers. All of this suspicion becomes associated with the Fulbright Commission and casts shadows on its future effectiveness as a sponsor of conflict resolution trainings or other bicommunal activities.

Foreign and Local Trainers

Three different categories of trainers have been involved in the conflict resolution training and bicommunal dialogue processes on Cyprus during the years covered in this report--foreign trainers, Fulbright Scholars and Cypriot trainers:

First are the foreign trainers. The Cyprus Consortium (IMDT and CMG) was contracted through AMID-EAST, and many of the trainers working for this consortium were subcontracted to offer skills in their own particular areas of expertise. For some of the subcontracted trainers, the Cyprus work was a very small part of their professional work, and according to people interviewed, they came with limited preparation for the Cypriot culture and the Cyprus Problem. If there was one resonating recommendation about changing future training, it was to make exercises and role plays more pertinent to the situation in Cyprus. Many of these trainers used materials based on business situations or community situations that were quite remote from how Cypriot participants view their world. Also the sporadic involvement of the Cyprus Consortium with high levels of activity, followed by periods of low level activity has been difficult for Cypriots. Despite the hopes of foreign trainers that momentum would be maintained in their absence, the momentum often wanes because of the absence of these foreign trainers. Since their involvement on the island is directly dependent on the receipt of funding and because some the leadership publishes scholarly articles about the trainings, a significant number of people are skeptical about the motives and selfish interests of these trainers. A number of people described themselves as feeling like Aguinea pigs@ for the Aexperiments@ of foreign trainers and scholars.

The second group of trainers is the visiting Fulbright Scholars. Certain Fulbright Scholars are selected by the Fulbright Commission in Washington DC and Cyprus to work on different projects related to conflict resolution or bicommunal activities. Many Scholars are considered to have made significant contributions to the bicommunal effort. However, a number of people noted that Fulbright scholars must each take time to learn about the communities and issues, and often just as they have done so, they leave. Most Scholars stay for either four, six or nine month periods (with two notable exceptions). This time frame does not allow enough time to use strategies that empower Cypriots to take the leadership and ownership of many of the activities that visiting Fulbright Scholars initiate--resulting in the dissolution of many projects after Scholars leave the island In addition to the pressure of time, many scholars come with a research project or potential publication in mind which directs their activities. Because of both of these factors, Fulbright Scholars are more effective at bringing specialized knowledge to the island, and less effective in providing support and continuity for the long term effort toward bicommunal harmony.

The third group of trainers is the Cypriot trainers, all of whom provide training, facilitation and leadership to the bicommunal effort on a voluntary basis. Several people interviewed identified a need on the island for some Cypriot professionals in the conflict resolution field--to serve both as people who can develop training unique to the Cypriot situation and to provide administrative support for overall bicommunal activities. The strain of offering training and facilitation, especially at the height of bicommunal activities in 1997, created hardships for a number of the trainers= families and businesses and has resulted in some committed persons needing to entirely withdraw from these activities.

There is an increasing recognition among Cypriot trainers that they must take the lead in offering training and in directing bicommunal efforts, while using the resources of third party trainers and other third party resources to further the Cypriot agenda. However, there is a lack of confidence among some of the second generation trainers in their own skills since their experience is limited There is also a recognition, even among more seasoned trainers, that they lack knowledge in the theoretical background and more current ideas and methodologies in the field of conflict resolution.

At the same time, there is little recognition for the wealth of knowledge, skills and resources on the island that could be tapped for training and other bicommunal activities. There is still a strong belief that a third party is necessary to give credibility to and set the tone for trainings, particularly bicommunal ones.

It falls to the Cypriot trainers to sustain the continuity of effort necessary to work toward bicommunal harmony, yet people do this as a community service on top of their work and family and other community service responsibilities. The voluntary nature of this effort makes it cumbersome and erratic and people find it frustrating. Many trainers interviewed strongly feel a need for a professional staff person to provide support and help in this effort who can be involved on a longer term basis than Fulbright Scholars of normal tenure.

Empowerment

A participant summed it up quite aptly as, AWe Cypriots should be more self sufficient; we should not need to wait for a third party to call us together. It has become a habit; maybe a form of resistance against self-empowerment.@ Some postulate that habit is the reason for this behavior, others think it is a cultural vestige of colonialism, others view it as a societal level of ADD. Whatever the cause, there is a dependence by otherwise highly effective and intelligent people upon third parties to both fund and provide stimulation for conflict resolution activities. Third parties may have a role in this dependence, by being so invested in the success of whatever activity they are fostering, they do not entrust enough of the authority and responsibility to Cypriots. Only Cypriots know themselves and their cultures well enough to understand and address this self-defeating behavior.

Support, Continuing Education and Evaluation for Cypriot Trainers

The support that many of the Cypriot trainers seek is needed on several levels. As mentioned before, there is a widely felt need among the leadership of the bicommunal activities, that in order to be effective there are needs both for staff support and a physical center of operations where administration, records, meetings and trainings can be held. While Fulbright staff and Fulbright scholars have fulfilled some of the roles that a permanent staff member might undertake, in neither case is this the full time focus of their positions--something trainers see as a necessity. The bicommunal coordinator position at the US Embassy cannot fulfill this needed role because its political affiliation stimulates anti-American sentiments and other fears of US manipulation among Cypriots. While the Fulbright Commission has generously built and made the J. Fulbright Center available for bicommunal activities, there is little room in the center for necessary office and storage space. There is no such space in the Turkish Cypriot community, as the Fulbright office in north Nicosia has no room for another office and the hours of the building limit use for training and meeting purposes. A space needs to be found for the Turkish Cypriot activists to house their efforts.

It is almost unanimous that trainers would like further continuing education. Many feel that they need more experience in training others in conflict resolution and communication skills. They would like culturally relevant role plays and experiential exercises to use in their training. They would like to learn about other grassroots peace building efforts in other countries and the methods used elsewhere. Several would like to learn more about the theories that underpin the field of conflict resolution and peace studies.

Because trainers= experience and skills in both communications, conflict resolution and facilitation techniques are very basic, continuing education to strengthen people=s current skills and provide new knowledge has been frequently noted as an important form of support. Among trainers there is concern that trainers= skills vary significantly and at present there is no way to help each trainer assess and develop their skills. Others recommend that trainers specialize--some in conflict resolution, some in Interactive Management and yet others in methodologies yet to be identified. Some see the need for Cypriot conflict resolution professionals who have degrees in the field and are recognized experts in the community to give credibility and expert guidance to the development of conflict resolution methods and training materials.

Communication

The Fulbright Commission has already undertaken the monumental task of developing a computerized data base of all the people who have participated in conflict resolution trainings they have sponsored. This information base can form a foundation for communication among people interested in and supportive of this work. Unfortunately this data base needs signficant updating largely due to the recent changes in telephone numbers in the Greek Cypriot telephone system. In addition, broadcast lists of people active in peace building efforts with email access have been developed in both communities. Finally, through the US Embassy=s Technology for Peace program, computers and electronic bulletin boards have been established so that people without home internet access can communicate electronically. A number of people interviewed noted that the physical inaccessibility of these computers is problematic and that certain functions originally designed into this program do not function.

Most communication efforts have been focused on helping people of the two communities communicate. However, there is an equally large communication issue among peace builders within each community. Especially in the larger Greek Cypriot community, even people who are very active in conflict resolution efforts are unaware of others in the community who are also involved and who may have helpful knowledge, connections or resources. In an effort to safeguard participants= privacy, this information is only available through word of mouth. Likewise, word of mouth is the only means in which different groups and individuals involved in bicommunal projects hear about one another=s activities. Many opportunities for coordination, sharing of resources and building on others= efforts are lost because of this lack of communication.

Finally, communications about bicommunal and conflict resolution work with the larger communities is limited. Many of the ideas developed in bicommunal dialogue groups and off-island meetings have never been documented or disseminated or when documented have been given little or no attention by the media. As reported in the interviews, the Turkish Cypriots more actively use the media to write about bicommunal activities and to counter contradictory views or misinformation. In general, Greek Cypriots seem to be more hesitant to publicize activities because of personally damaging attacks the media has made on active individuals.

Bicommunal Activity versus Mono-communal Activity

There seems to be an assumption upon which much of the original training was built that only bicommunal work is conflict resolution work and that involvement in bicommunal activities is a form of conflict resolution. In neither case is this necessarily so. This belief further muddies the purpose and strategies for peace building activities.

All but a handful of people interviewed agreed that bicommunal conflict resolution training and dialogues are invaluable for establishing understanding and empathy between individual members of the two communities. There is much more divided opinion about the utility of mono-communal efforts in peace building. Those who feel that bicommunal meetings are the only avenue into which to put effort; they emphasize the use of Pyla and off-island events while the ban is in effect. Others feel that while on-island meetings are not possible, the ground should be prepared by holding mono-communal conflict resolution trainings. Finally a few interviewees see a need to work with people in their own communities to encourage harmony within their own communities as a prerequisite to future harmony between the communities.

In 1997 the energy and focus of training and dialogue were almost exclusively on bicommunal efforts. When bicommunal meetings were banned on the island, many members of both communities went through a period of loss and had little energy or interest in mono-communal efforts. As the ban has continued, and funds for off-island trainings and meetings are recognized as limited, more people are now looking earnestly at the benefits and pitfalls of working within each community to educate people about communications, conflict resolution and community harmony.

EVALUATION RESULTS

Evaluation is the activity of measuring how an activity or activities address particular preset goals. That is what this section covers. However, in this case, the first step in this study was to determine the goals for providing conflict resolution training. Although they existed, they had not been recorded or recently articulated. The very first interviews described in the methodology section of this report were conducted to ascertain what the sponsor=s (The Cyprus Fulbright Commission) goals were when they decided to support conflict resolution trainings. These goals were identified by the Commission members and staff who served the Commission at the time and by the foreign trainers who were initially involved.

Over the five years that this report covers, the goals for conflict resolution trainings expanded. This is not at all uncommon. The expanded goal was identified during interviews with Cypriot trainers, who provided the leadership for the later stages of the conflict resolution training process. There were two direct goals and two indirect goals, followed later by one expanded goal. The original four goals predominated when foreign trainers were initiating the training. They are as follows:

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

3. 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,and

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

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

Expanded goal:

5. To mobilize additional people in both communities to actively work toward reconciliation and peace. This part of the report will address how effectively the conflict resolution training addressed these five goals. Each will be addressed individually.

Goal 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.

Based upon interviews with observers, trainers and participants, there is no doubt that the vast majority of people involved in conflict resolution training personally experienced the development of positive relationships with members of the other community. Many people feel that they have dear and trusted friends in the other community. Also, the vast majority of people involved in the training reported that they gained a new understanding of the perspectives and feelings of others about historical events, particularly the events of the 1960's and 1970's about which each community has only partial information. Many spoke of having significantly greater understanding and empathy for the pain, fears and concerns of the people from the other community. On a person-to-person basis, with the rare exception of a few people who had very negative experiences during the trainings, the people interviewed unquestionably developed positive relations with individuals from the other community.

However, in reports of both Turkish and Greek Cypriots, despite their truly warm and caring feelings toward individuals they have met through the conflict resolution training, many people still carry stereotypes, suspicions and fears of the people whom they have not met from the other community. As one respondent put it, ABehind each of the Greek Cypriots I know and trust, there are ten whom I fear. I don=t know what they think and I am afraid of mob psychology.@ Similarly, while respondents did understand the multiple perspectives on their shared history of conflict, current day events generate speculation and suspicion because each community has limited access to the other community=s perspective and receives information filtered through their respective, and often biased, media.

In the minds of many people interviewed, where there has been contact between people of the two communities, it has been positive, but the number of people having these experiences has been limited. Neither side has been able to yet engage the number of people necessary to sufficiently influence their own societies or leadership. Estimates of the number of people involved in bicommunal and conflict resolution activities vary. Three thousand persons is the highest estimate offered. On an island with a population of approximately eight to nine hundred thousand people, even this high estimate represents less than one percent of the people on the island.

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

Even the persons interviewed who no longer view bicommunal contact as desirable, acknowledge the usefulness of the communications and conflict resolution skills they learned in conflict resolution training. They note that they try to apply these skills in their families, workplaces, schools or community organizations. The skills mostly commonly reported as used were: active listening skills, circular seating arrangements, using flip charts to record people=s statements and encouraging people to speak one at a time in meetings. A number of people talked about the challenge of applying these and other communication skills, particularly listening skills, in their community when they or only a few others have learned them. However, there were many notable successes reported--several unions and NGOs that have adopted the meeting practices, students and teachers have introduced them into their schools, adults have used some of the skills with their children and spouses--even siblings report using them among themselves.

Among the many Cypriot trainers interviewed, there was much concern expressed about the depth of learning provided in the conflict resolution trainings they attended. Most had attended a number of conflict resolution trainings and felt that there was a great deal of repetition among the trainings and that the methodology taught was very limited. They also noted that communication and conflict resolution methodologies were taught without presentation of the theories and disciplines upon which the methodologies were based. This lack of depth of understanding has left many trainers with limited confidence in their abilities to handle difficult situations. Having only a limited number of conflict resolution techniques has inhibited the flexibility needed to handle some of the intense emotions and contrasting ideas trainers face in bicommunal dialogue groups and among themselves.

Goal 3: 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.

Probably the most unanimous agreement about the effect of the conflict resolution trainings is that many friendships have formed as a result of the experience. Many see these friendships as the bedrock upon which rapprochement between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities can be built. There are mixed views about whether professional relationships have developed. Most people answered no they did not develop; but as people talked further, it became clear that on an individual basis, academics, teachers, accountants and NGO leaders do exchange professional ideas. Because quite a few bicommunal dialogue groups were established based upon professions, the friendships formed as a result tended to bring people with like professions together. A number of these people combine their social friendship with an exchange of professional ideas. After the ban on bicommunal contact, a few of the professional groups found ways to remain in contact, but most flagged.

In regard to whether the conflict resolution trainings helped develop a future orientation, there is some evidence that this has occurred, but rather indirectly. Participation in conflict resolution training sessions often added to participants= perspective on past events associated with the Cyprus Problem rather than addressing the future. However, the different bicommunal dialogue groups and the trainers group working under Benjamin Broome developed ideas for future actions to address the island=s needs bicommunally and to improve rapprochement between the two communities. In a few cases, bicommunal dialogue groups developed projects and completed them, such as a bicommunal arts and music festival and the establishment of a bicommunal magazine. In 1998 and 1999 a number of bicommunal projects were developed in response to available grant funds from the United Nations Office of Program Services, some of these were based upon the ideas generated in the bicommunal dialogue groups of 1997.

There is no lack of ideas for island-wide and bicommunal activities, as evidenced by the large number of projects proposed for United Nations funding designed to address shared social, environmental and economic concerns of the entire island. However, resources to support projects is limited and there is resistance from the authorities and other institutions in both communities to facilitate such projects. Likewise, Cypriots focus narrowly on funding from third parties to support such activities. There is little effort made to generate financial support from Cypriots on or off the island for projects beneficial to both communities.

Goal 4: To have participants understand the Cyprus Problem in new ways and generate creative ideas for a resolution that could be used by policy makers or third parties to inform a settlement.

As early as 1993, there have been bicommunal conflict resolution trainings that included people of the two communities working jointly to develop ideas regarding settlement of the Cyprus Problem. However, these ideas seem to have had little impact on the policy makers to this point. Few of the ideas generated at these meetings have been documented and when they were, they have rarely been made public or circulated widely. And the media in both communities have largely ignored or reacted negatively the ideas made known to them from these joint efforts. A few ideas have found their way into the hands of third parties, but seem to have had limited impact on ideas for settlement.

Goal 5: To mobilize additional people in both communities to actively work toward reconciliation and peace.

This is the goal that developed as Cypriot trainers became the initiators and organizers of conflict resolution training and bicommunal dialogue efforts. It has yet to be addressed in a significant way. Immediately before the ban on bicommunal contact came into effect, the number of people of the two communities meeting together was at its height. The ban had a devastating effect on the level of contact. Individuals with email access continue to communicate. The frequency of contact seems to vary significantly among individuals. This is the same situation with the use of the UN telephone lines, which many complain are often busy, out of order or believed to be tapped. A few bicommunal dialogue groups have kept in contact and remained active, such as the bicommunal choir, although participation in most groups that stayed in contact has dwindled as the ban has continued. A bicommunal group, formed during a conflict resolution training held in Oslo, has continues to work actively. This group, a newly formed academics group and the citizens group are the only groups to have expanded over this time. (While the citizens group has bicommunal membership, its growth has been largely among the Greek Cypriot members.) This group has remained active and grown throughout 1998 and 1999, despite the ban on bicommunal meetings. Attrition from other groups and individual contacts happened for many reasons--the added difficulty and expense of meeting, the need to spend time on participant=s personal and professional lives, frustration with continued dialogue without action, and disenchantment with the conflict resolution work and its organization.

During 1998-99 there have also been six to ten different bicommunal meetings or camps, held off of the island; some were efforts to generate creative ideas for breaking the current stalemate regarding the Cyprus Problem. However, because of the expense of these off-island events, in total not more than two hundred people have been involved--several of whom had already been involved in other conflict resolution activities. In addition, the ideas developed in these meetings have rarely been documented and only sporadically disseminated when documented.

There have been mono-communal trainings held in each community introducing communications skills to additional people, especially women=s organizations and NGOs in the Turkish Cypriot community. In addition, approximately 370 Cypriots in both communities have learned mediation skills that can be applied to conflicts within each community. It is uncertain how many of these participants were new to conflict resolution trainings or activities.

There is a large gap between the number of people currently involved in reconciliation efforts and the number necessary to represent a significant portion of each community=s population. This goal requires very different strategies from the ones established for earlier conflict resolution activities. Strategies need to be designed to change the societal attitudes and systems in each community that present barriers to a peaceful settlement. Most of the effort in conflict resolution has been focused upon meetings between people from the two communities to establish rapport and empathy between individuals. The more recent expanded goal requires strategies aimed within each community that will broaden the base of understanding of and support for reconciliation. These efforts will require community organizing skills, intracommunity dialogue. And most importantly, Cypriots must make a bald assessment of and commitment to change the elements within each society that contribute to the conflict and maintain the stalemate.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FULBRIGHT COMMISSION

Develop an Understandable and Defensible Selection Process for all Conflict Resolution Trainings

The Fulbright Commission is respected in both communities for its transparent and well ordered process for determining scholarship recipients to US universities. It uses a more abbreviated, yet thorough, process for the youth camp scholarships that it also offers. In both cases, even when applicants are disappointed at not being awarded a scholarship, they generally believe that the process was fair and open. This belief is what upholds Fulbright=s credibility and trustworthiness with Cypriots for both communities.

The use of a less well understood selection process in choosing participants for conflict resolution trainings has led people to question the Commission=s commitment to openness and fairness. In order to restore its reputation and its unique place in the minds of Cypriots, processes like those used for scholarship selections should be applied to conflict resolution training sponsored by Fulbright. There are many options possible--application forms, essays, interviews, nominations by credible people or even a lottery process may be used, depending on the nature of the activity. However, whatever process the Commission adopts, awareness of the possibility of participating in the activity should be made known widely and the process to be used for selection of participants should be made public.

While this won=t necessary completely assuage disappointed people, it will restore the credibility of the agency from accusations of manipulation by third parties, favoritism, or handing out favors.

In addition, foreign trainings that are actually sponsored, selected and staffed by the office of the bicommunal coordinator in the US Embassy are also attributed to Fulbright. People are increasingly confused about which organization is responsible for certain bicommunal activities and unfortunately criticize Fulbright for their concerns with these activities. If the US Embassy and Fulbright choose to maintain roles in bicommunal activities, they need to clearly identify which agency is responsible for any activities. A recommendation regarding the selection process for the children's bicommunal camps was considering not only the children's academics and capacity for communicating in English, but also their demonstrated commitment to establishing rapport with people of the other other community.

Redefine the Role of Visiting Fulbright Scholars

The scholars brought to Cyprus from the US should bring expertise that Cypriots feel is needed for the development of their society. In regard to peace building activities, the conflict resolution scholars might focus on specific information and skills that Cypriots have identified as currently needed. Listed below are the areas of training concerning conflict resolution (and supportive activities) that have been identified by both the people interviewed and the author. Scholars might be sought who can offer training and consultation in these areas. The Commission might use these recommendations as it seeks conflict resolution scholars in the future.

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

- Peer mediation program development for schools

- Classroom management for teachers

- Cross-cultural management and communication

- Dialogue

- Negotiation

- The role of gender in conflict resolution

- Dealing with loss:grief

- Forgiveness

- Team building

- Public presentation skills

- Decision-making methodologies

- Leadership development

- NGO development and management

- Project management techniques

- Lobbying techniques

- Performance evaluation methods

- Creative thinking skills

- Training methodologies

- Change management methods

- Community development methods

- Media relations

- Empowerment strategies

- Classroom management

Conflict resolution scholars have been used over the last several years as facilitators and support persons for the work of Cypriot conflict resolution trainers. These scholars have committed innumerable hours and brought many creative ideas to the process; however, because most trainers have relatively short stays (four, six or nine months), there is time lost in each scholar=s efforts. Each must met the people active in conflict resolution activities, learn how the system works, get settled into Cypriot life and most importantly earn the trust of people in the communities. Scholars would be used more effectively if they were to intensively present trainings and consultations in one or several of the areas identified above. Facilitation and ongoing support of Cypriot trainers should be provided through a different avenue. The support and facilitation function should be filled either by a foreigner knowledgeable in conflict resolution who will be living in Cyprus for at least two years, or by a Cypriot with the same credentials.

Improved coordination among Fulbright Scholars is another area that might make their efforts more effective. If scholars were to leave copies of their training materials and a report with observations and recommendations about what they offered, which would be made available to future scholars, they could more effectively build upon one another=s efforts. Currently, when this does happen, it occurs on a very informal basis. If Fulbright requested such reports and made them available among scholars, a great deal more continuity among scholars= efforts could be developed.

Likewise, it would be very helpful if scholars working in the same field were to have a short time when both were on the island, so the experience of one could be passed on to the next. Second best to face to face meetings, would be having them communicate by email to exchange this information.

Finally, it would be very useful to request scholars to bring between six and ten of the most useful books and other materials related to their fields of expertise. These would be added to the Fulbright Commission=s library in the bicommunal center and north office for reference by Cypriots. Many people interviewed expressed the desire to have books and materials from previous scholars available for reference.

Increase the Involvement of Cypriots in the Design and Follow-up Activities of Training Offered by Foreign Trainers

Foreign trainers are at a large disadvantage working on Cyprus unless they have spent significant time on the island or have had a very thorough introduction to the culture and issues on Cyprus. When people come for one or two weeks to offer specific training, a myriad of issues arise. Logistics tend to be difficult and are often determined based on the time line of the trainers, rather than the needs of Cypriots. Materials are often drawn from the home culture of the trainer and may not be meaningful to the cultures and experiences of the people here. Often, what can be offered in a relatively short, intense workshop does not include the depth of information people actually need to incorporate the new information into their lives. Lastly, and most importantly, when there is little follow-up and support after such trainings, the participants quickly lose confidence in how to apply or tailor their new learning to real life situations. This is not to suggest that there should never be foreign trainers contracted, but the decision to use foreign trainers and contracts with them should be developed to overcome these limitations as much as possible.

Use Cypriot Expertise and Resources

It has been notable how infrequently local expertise, often US or European trained, is called upon when training needs are identified. While Cypriots seem to have the same bias as exists in the US--that unfamiliar people tend to be viewed as more expert than local ones---it is important to use the wealth of highly educated and skilled Cypriots and local expatriates to full advantage. Many of the limitations identified above can be addressed when using people who are located on the island (not to mention the cost effectiveness of such use.)

Transition Administrative Support for Peace Building Efforts

The Fulbright staff has done yeomen=s work in providing administrative support to peace building activities over and above their normal workloads for the past several years. It would be helpful for Fulbright to have 2 half-time staff persons (one located in each community) to serve this administrative role for a time limited period of possibly two to three years. These staff persons would report to the Commission=s director and service the board of an NGO established to oversee peace building activities in each community. They would help each community establish an organization, develop its policies and procedures and provide administrative assistance to community members doing conflict resolution work in their respective communities. The people in these positions should use a community development methodology. They would provide assistance, motivation and advice, but not direction to the board/members of each organization. These people might be non-Cypriots, but should definitely not be American citizens. (See issue of politicization of the bicommunal work.) After the established time period, these positions would leave Fulbright and become positions in the NGOs. The NGOs would be responsible for funding and supervision for their staff persons after the transition. These staff would need to communicate and coordinate with Fulbright, especially to assure that Fulbright Conflict Resolution Scholars provide technical expertise the communities feel will be helpful to them.

The J. William Fulbright Bicommunal Center is viewed as a very effective meeting space and should continue to be made available for many uses. If possible, it might be wise to fit the coffee building or another space as an office and storage space for the peace building NGO until it can find space of its own. In the Turkish Cypriot community, there is need for a similar space that can serve as a focal point for bicommunal and conflict resolution activities of all kinds. The Fulbright administrative staff person might help locate such a space. The two centers should ideally be able to communicate easily with one another, through computer, interactive television or at minimum, telephone. One option for such space might be in a building the UN has leased in the northern section of the Old City.

Reestablish the Commission=s Focus on Its Educational Role

The Commission has served as both a catalyst and quiet champion for bicommunal work and conflict resolution training over the past ten years. Its credibility and acceptance in both communities has enabled it to serve this critical role. Over this period, groups of people in both communities have been developing the capability to continue the peace building process as a community directed effort. The Commission is in the enviable position of being able to transition its responsibilities in this effort to community leadership where it can be most effective. This will take some time, which is the reason for recommending a two to three year transition period in which the community groups can develop their capacity to direct these efforts independently. The two half-time administrators, discussed above would assist in formalizing the peace building NGO or NGOs and support their activities until they had become independent.

This transition of responsibility for peace building activities will enable the Fulbright Commission to reestablish its primary focus on its educational role. It would still sponsor visiting Fulbright Scholars who can provide expertise to all sectors of the society--including peace building efforts. The Fulbright Commission might further support the development of a deeper understanding of conflict resolution theory and practice by offering CASP scholarships to send people to US universities or peace building organizations for further training. (If this is done, Fulbright should require scholarship recipients to offer workshops to others on Cyprus about the training that they received.) Youth training, such as summer camps, training youth in peer mediation or other youth education efforts are other aspects of peace building education that the Commission might focus upon.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Develop a Unified Vision for Peace Building ActivitiesIn 1997, through the support and assistance of Benjamin Broome, the bicommunal leadership of the conflict resolution and bicommunal activities developed a vision statement and strategies for moving toward that vision. Some divisive conflicts within the group and the ban upon bicommunal meetings have stymied the work of this group and its movement toward its vision. In recent months leadership groups/steering committees have been reestablished with new membership. With the ban on bicommunal meetings now in effect for a year and one half, many of the people involved feel that it is necessary to reassess the previously developed vision and strategies. This may not need to be as extensive a process as the one done in the past, however, several additional issues should be included when the group does this reassessment:

- Develop multiple strategies that address the vision both through both bicommunal efforts and mono-communal work.

- Activate strategies to promote reconciliation both on a personal level and also a societal/cultural level.

- Establish multiple strategies to enable progress toward the vision that can be activated as external forces change the environment within Cyprus.

- Develop an organizational structure with multiple roles for people interested in peace building. This will enable broader involvement of different people interested in peace building activities at many levels.

- Design the peace building movement to make use of third party resources, but to be directed and implemented by Cypriots.

Professor Michael Beer, of Harvard University, has articulated a model of the essential conditions needed for change to occur. This model would be helpful when reassessing the peace building vision. It states for change to occur there needs to be:

- High dissatisfaction with the current situation,

- A vision of a better future,

- Knowledge of the first steps to take to move toward the vision.

All of this must be perceived to cost* less than the cost of remaining in the current situation. *(Costs includes financial, psychological, temporal and emotional costs)

Each community needs to take a very frank look at these factors within their own societies, when considering how to move forward.

Expand the Paradigm of Peace Building Activities

For most of the time that grassroots peace building activities have been going on in Cyprus, the primary focus has been on training, particularly developing communication skills and discussing the Cyprus Problem in a bicommunal setting. The focus was on having Turkish and Greek Cypriots meet one another to dispel negative stereotypes and establish empathy. While this remains an important and worthwhile activity, it would be wise to expand the paradigm for peace building and include other strategies and additional groups of people to promote peace building within each community.

Strategies to influence the many people who have been uninvolved in the conflict resolution process thus far are needed within each community. For every person who has been somehow touched by the bicommunal activities, there are dozens who have been untouched. Even among people committed to harmony between the communities there is a fear and concern about all the people unfamiliar with conflict resolution. The strong emphasis on bicommunal contact has overshadowed the importance of influencing public opin ûion, the media and changing negative practices and attitudes within each community. In addition, the requirement of a level of fluency in English has shut out many people who were otherwise interested in the conflict resolution process in the past.

There are many vehicles, in addition to training, that could be employed:

- working with the media

- developing new media avenues within each community

- videos, cds, computer games designed to promote communications skills, cross-cultural understanding, life in a multi-cultural society

- theater pieces, artwork

- local children=s camps and youth centers.

Any or all of these types of vehicles could be used for the purpose of promoting the ideas of tolerance, multi-culturalism or other topics that can lead the general public to be more accepting of people unlike themselves.

The actual vehicles should be identified by peace workers within each community, as they are far more sensitive to topics and methods that would be suitable. The point of any of these activities would be to influence people within each community, as opposed to people of the other community.

Much of this work is essential, both for bicommunal rapport and for harmony among the many people who are currently living in each community. In the Greek Cypriot community, the Sri Lankan, Filipino, Rumanian and Russian populations are enlarging. In the Turkish Cypriot community, a large number of Anatolians, Rumanians and other people from the Balkan states are joining the community. Should Cyprus become part of the European Union, there will be added diversity. Racism, ethnocentricity and intolerance are concerns in both communities, qualities that both hinder grass roots peace building among Turkish and Greek Cypriots and harmony among the many other groups living within each community.

Develop Support Systems for Peace Builders and Conflict Resolution Trainers

The grassroots peace building process has been and will always be, largely a volunteer effort. In order to retain and motivate volunteers it will be necessary to establish support systems for these people. The half time staff persons, housed in the Fulbright offices, should work with the steering committees in both communities to set up the following organizational systems: a volunteer coordination system to distribute the work load, a system of rewards and recognition for volunteer effort, a program of continuing education for trainers, a feedback and evaluation system for volunteer performance and development and an effective communication network among peace workers.

Data Keeping and Communication Among Peace Workers

There are a great many Cypriots with expertise and resources that can augment the peace building activities. However, even among the most active peace builders there is a lack of awareness of other interested people and what resources they have to offer. Establishing a data base of people interested in conflict resolution activities, their interests, skills and professions might help peace builders better access and use the many resources available on the island. In addition, interested people are often unaware of other peace building activities that are going on. Some means of communication among peace workers about on-going activities, whether through print, electronic communications or telephone trees should be developed.

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