Negotiating for Life: Liberian Women’s Negotiating Skills
Abstract:
In 2003, the Women Peace Building Network (WIPNET) led Liberia out of violent conflict by employing non-violent resistance. A scrutiny of their struggle revealed that they practiced an authentic bottom-up peaceful resistance. First, they abridged the religious differences between themselves. Then, they formed a social network-based organization and derived synergy. They started their struggle at the family level by convincing their spouses to stand for peace and took their battle to the state level by courageously approaching President Charles Taylor to influence him to enter the negotiation process. Further, they transcended national boundaries by following the negotiators to Ghana and pressuring them (including the mediators) to settle. After settlement, they ensured the sustainability of their voice by rallying behind the first female candidate and enabling her to secure victory. This bottom-up approach imparted a valuable lesson of applying negotiation strategy to the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Read or download full paper:
Journal of Living Together, 6 (1), pp. 259-269, 2019, ISSN: 2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online).
@Article{Maru2019
Title = {Negotiating for Life: Liberian Women’s Negotiating Skills}
Author = {Makda Maru}
Url = {https://icermediation.org/liberian-womens-negotiation-skills/}
ISSN = {2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online)}
Year = {2019}
Date = {2019-12-18}
Journal = {Journal of Living Together}
Volume = {6}
Number = {1}
Pages = {259-269}
Publisher = {International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation}
Address = {Mount Vernon, New York}
Edition = {2019}.