Following that maxim of Marcus Tullius Cicero that History Magister Vitae (History is a teacher of life), I am going to tell you, through a true story, the importance of a good intercultural mediator radiating confidence in order to lay the foundation for the search for an agreement between the parties.
For this we are going to go to a specific time and territory. We will go to the Iberian Peninsula in the middle of the 10th century.
In the year 939 Ramiro II de León who had defeated the caliph of Córdoba in the battle of Simancas, and three years later both monarchs decided to settle the details of some peace agreements interesting for the parties.
For this the caliph Abd al-Rahman III sends his Jewish secretary Hasday ben Shaprut, well known for his skills when it comes to mediating and negotiating, to conclude the peace negotiations with the king of León and above all for a particular undertaking, that of achieving his release. Muhammad ben Hashim, great Muslim ruler of Zaragoza and who had been taken prisoner in that battle.
As we already said in a previous article, the intercultural mediators of that time used to be in charge of freeing soldiers in captivity after a battle.
After spending seven months at the court of the Leonese king, Shaprut He manages to gain the trust of King Ramiro and thus in 941, he gets King Ramiro to agree to the release of the imprisoned Muslim ruler, in exchange for some Mozarabic bishops.
The important thing about this story is perhaps the work of the mediator, who is the one who finally achieves an agreement after a very bloody war.
Shaprut's mediation
Let's look at Shaprut, our mediator in this story.
Firstly, he is sent by Abd al-Rahman III to Leonese territory because he is someone he trusts, someone in whom he can place the negotiation. Furthermore, he sends him because he is probably a specialist in the context where he moved, in this case, on the borders between both kingdoms and both religions (he was Jewish), he spoke several languages (Hebrew, Arabic and Latin), and also He was also chosen because he was a person who knew the problem closely.
But it is also that Shaprut He was patient and had to spend 7 months in Christian territory. He knows that trust was everything and not only did he persevere over time, but when there was no possibility of being received he did not harangue himself and continued looking for the possibility of continuing working to reach an agreement.
Furthermore, he discovered what the common interests of the litigating parties were, personified here in the Mozarabic bishops and the Muslim governor of Zaragoza himself, and he did not distract from the objective of provoking the liberation of both parties.
Therefore, patience and perseverance is a virtue in mediation. Our mediation actions cannot be rushed, they must be cooked slowly, but we have to be very prepared and trained to use all our techniques and discover the hidden interests of the parties.
It is very important that when we do that and see that the parties are prepared, we cause an agreement to be closed.
And one of the most important parts of mediating is not only doing it, but also making the agreements a reality. Therefore, closing agreements should also be our objective as mediators and will surely make the difference between a professional and someone who is not so professional. How do you think he was considered? Shaprut in his time? Well, we know this thanks to the chronicles of the time where he was such a respected figure that if you don't know Jaén (Spain), go visit the Plaza del Rastro, there you will find the monument of this great intercultural mediator.
Very interesting dear. Hug