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Obama: mediator-in-chief

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Barack Obama's election victory generated waves of optimism and good feeling in many parts of the world - and expectations have been sky-high - but a recent incident demonstrated one particular aspect of Obama's skills.

David Liddle, 12th Aug 2009

The beer summit

The Crowley/Henry Louis Gates affair (more here) was looking like an unfortunate misunderstanding until Obama became involved by claiming officer Crowley and the Cambridge Police acted “stupidly”.

This comment was perceived as an unwise attempt to take sides on the issue, so, realising his mistake, Obama called all the parties over to the White House - not for an official inquiry - but for an informal chat over a beer.
 

A non traditional approach for a US President

This is not a traditional approach, but it shows the usefulness of mediation in a wide range of situations. By breaking away from the typically tough, uncompromising style of Western politics, Obama has employed understanding and empathy in order to resolve a conflict. This is very similar to the successful techniques used in corporate mediation (minus the beer!)
 

So what does it teach us about conflict resolution?

here at TCM: we specialise in getting people to talk to each other, airing their concerns and eventually coming to a mutually satisfactory resolution. Obama has shown that mediation is an important skill, especially at the highest level. The American people should take heart that such an expert mediator is in charge of their country.
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