Moving Beyond Mediation: The OAS Transforming Conflict in Guatemala (Organization of American States‪)‬

In 1995-1996 the hemisphere's multilateral forum, the Organization of American States, launched a conflict prevention and management program in Guatemala entitled "Culture of Dialogue: Development of Resources for Peacebuilding in Guatemala." The overarching goal was to help Guatemalans address ongoing tensions and political disputes, particularly related to the implementation of the historic peace accords. This article provides a detailed account of this OAS attempt to prevent and diffuse conflict, suggesting that it represents a novel effort that draws heavily on the conflict transformation approach to conflict management. Still, it argues that, at the conceptual level, there appears to be a disconnect between this approach to conflict prevention and the Organization's broader approach to peacebuilding, which embraces a free-market path to development, including the implementation of market-oriented economic reforms. KEYWORDS: conflict prevention, Guatemala, Organization of American States, peacebuilding, reconstruction. **********