Yes-say the Other

Juan Gutiérrez founded and directed a research center for peace in Gernika (“Gernika Gogoratuz” that means Remembering Gernika). He thinks of peace not only as the absence of violence, not only as an agreement or compromise between opposing parts in a conflict, but as the regeneration of a social bond, another form of cohabitation among different parties, reconciliation. How can a mediator contribute to all this? According to Juan Gutiérrez, a “third party” does not say, does not impose, does not propose or even suggest solutions in a conflict, instead he or she contributes to profound mutual understanding and to evaluate the realism of the approaches, he or she contributes to create trust and proposes procedures for participation. What is the mediator’s kit? What are the appropriate techniques? How to represent the fact of the confrontation and the figure of the enemy? Is there such a thing as a mediator’s ethics? What to do with Hegel’s maxim according to which “who mediates holds the power”?