Asymmetric War and Asymmetric Peace Real Realities and ：非对称战争与和平的真正现实和不对称.doc

The Media in Asymmetric War and Asymmetric Peace: Lessons from the conflicts in former Yugoslavia and Israel-Palestine Third Global International Studies Conference, Porto, Portugal, 20 August 2011 Dov Shinar, School of Communication, Netanya Academic College, Israel Vladimir Bratic, Communication Studies, Hollins University, USA Based on paper presented at the Eleventh Mediterranean Research Meeting, Florence and Montecatini Terme 24-27 March 2010, organized by the Mediterranean Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute Abstract The cases of the Western Balkans and Israel-Palestine are used to explore symmetry and asymmetry, and the role of mass media, in conflict and peace-making. Introductory sections include an anatomic discussion of structural, cultural, and psychological dimensions of asymmetry, and a diagnostic characterization of symmetries and asymmetries in war and peace. The core section is a therapeutic discussion about media roles and their implications for peace-making in asymmetric conflicts. Examples illustrate structural, cultural and psychological constraints that affect symmetries and asymmetries, such as socioeconomic and integrative resources as well as narratives, images, and perceptions. The discussion argues that peace agreements where asymmetric conflict is changed into a relatively symmetric peace treaty, such as in Northern Ireland, might be more successful than peace agreements that perpetuate asymmetries built into conflicts, such as Oslo, Dayton and Rambouillet. The popular saying that one might know when a war starts but not when, where, and how it will be over, is certainly true for the classic wars of the 20th century. It is perhaps as true for the asymmetric wars of the last decades. And it is probably even truer for some relatively recent peacemaking efforts, such as the Stormont, Oslo, Dayton, and Rambouillet accords. With necessary caution, one can say that the parties