The paradox of identity

Jon Nakapalau, CPO, CHSO

Who are you?

Who we are in relation to others…

This constant process of trying to interact with others while being answerable to the powers that be seems to be a problem that can be seen in the context of our collective historical experience.

No matter what time or place you choose you can see elements of this process being played out all over the world and at all times.

What is new is that the process has never been so polarized and access to media has never been so involved in shaping the perception of who we are.”

OTHERS over

TIME become less and less like

WE are if their identity is not

like our identity…

The Identity Gap:

WE: OTHERS:

Self referential views often are the result of limited knowledge of others.

“They” often see our views as based on a lack of interest in them.

The Melian dialogue The Melian dialogue has come down to us as a stark example of the powerful exerting authority over the weak.

As is often the case even today the dialogue has shaded meaning that hides the fact that distributive power is the foundation of many IR theories:

Melians: “But do you consider that there is no security in the policy which we indicate? For here again if you debar us from talking about justice and invite us to obey your interest, we also must explain ours, and try to persuade you, if the two happen to coincide. How can you avoid making enemies of all existing neutrals who shall look at case from it that one day or another you will attack them? And what is this but to make greater the enemies that you have already, and to force others to become so who would otherwise have never thought of it?” [1]

[1] Thucydides, (c. 460-395) History of the Peloponnesian War

I am right!

CASE STUDY: Did you read my book?

During the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference Ho Chi Minh attempted to talk with U.S. president Woodrow Wilson. Ho wanted to present president Wilson with a proposal for Vietnam's independence. Because of pressure from France he was turned away.

Leaving Paris in 1923, Ho then traveled to Moscow to begin training at the headquarters of the Communist International (Comintern) and eventually assumed an active role in its fifth congress.

He criticizing the French Communist Party for not opposing colonialism more vigorously. He also urged the Comintern to start to actively promote revolution in Asia.

President Woodrow Wilson died in 1924.

Forty years later the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred and set the US on the road to Vietnam.

“The Monolithic Them”:

WE: OTHERS:You are all

bad!

You are all

bad!

History has shown the danger of the state establishing the Monolithic Them…

Just followi

ng orders!

Integrative negotiations:

Inventive/cooperative negotiation driven by the concept of creating meaningful value.

It states that mutual problem solving and active participation in apportionment (as opposed to winner-loser posturing) empowers the process and that this is key to all parties involved feeling that considerable gains have been made.

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Nietzsche

Negotiation needs “cognitive resonance”

in order to be effective. It is only

when we have empathy toward our

fellow man and woman that we are able to look past our own

self/group interests and start a process that can address

issues of transformative

change.

YUM YUM!

Summery…

As is often the case when there is stress placed on access to resources needed by everyone some tend to use the few as scapegoats.

This is a pattern that we have seen played out time and time again historically. This pattern still continues to this day and will continue for as long as the majority of people in the world see their relationship to others as first and foremost a political definition of who they are and who others are.

By the very fact that we still chose to look at each other from this perspective we are setting in place a very limited way of working together to solve complex problems when we face them.

How a political system conducts transactions between foreign and domestic policy will in turn become the self referential image that is projected to other countries.

Lack of understanding of the current international politico-economic climate can damage meaningful dialogue; this then begins to have a negative impact on diplomacy and business.

When we group all people into one category we start to create the phenomena of “The Monolithic Them.”

Others over Time become less and less like us if their identity has become amalgamated into The Monolithic Them.

Once you project The Monolithic Them onto a group of people they will do the same to you and your group. Bye…