At a time when diplomacy can be viewed as something of a forgotten skill, at best, Jonathan Powell has revived as one of the handful of the world actors who continue to place a bet on dialogue as opposed to confrontation. His most recent agenda, which is assisting in crafting and facilitating the Gaza peace accord, brings decades of experience back to his sharp focus.
There have been numerous efforts in the world to appease the Gaza war and yet this one does not seem to be the same. There is, by this once, a tentative feeling of cooperation among great powers, a common feeling that there is no more blood to be shed, and the realization that the price of defeat is any too great. Powell, who is a more experienced negotiator and a person with a record of making bridges out of seemingly unbridgeable gaps, is at the center of this web of diplomacy.
A Veteran of Difficult Peace
The name of Jonathan Powell might not draw the attention of an average person but his work has influenced some of the most significant peacemaking in the contemporary world. Powell, the best-known former Chief of Staff to the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, was the figure who facilitated the talks which led to the Good Friday Agreement, the agreement which put an end to the decades of bloodsheds in the Northern Irish land.
The success of that saw him become one of the most revered conflict mediators in Europe. He gave his life to world peace since he left the government and created an organization that is dedicated to talking to groups that no other individual can talk to. He has a plain but radical philosophy: you cannot achieve peace without discussing it with your opponents.
This conviction has seen him visit some of the most volatile places in the world. Both in collaborating with insurgencies in the background, and serving governments in advisory capacities, Powell has developed an image as someone who is a long-suffering listener who never underestimates the power of dialogue, even where it appears to be nonexistent.
The Gaza Challenge
The Gaza peace agreement is perhaps the most wrought out and most emotional ordeal of his career. Several decades of conflict between Israel and Hamas have resulted in waves of violence that kills civilians and ruins the area. There are more demands of ceasefire with each new outburst of the disease – yet, there has never been a lasting peace.
The new wave of negotiations is expected to reach a higher stage than a temporary ceasefire. It aims at creating a gradual truce, releasing the hostages and captives, and creating humanitarian routes to restore communities in ruins. The end state, which is yet far off, is a political and economic stability structure in Gaza.
The inclusion of Powell is a sign of renewed interest on the part of UK in taking a positive role in Middle East diplomacy. He has reportedly assisted behind the scenes in helping connect the regional players with the international negotiators and organizing the type of back-channel negotiations that succeed or fail the delicate negotiating processes.
A Diplomat’s Toolkit
What is good about Powell is not only his resume but his approach. He works in patience, discretion and full knowledge of the process of building trust between enemies. To him, a peace process is not a single day but a process, it is a series of steps that are confidence-building steps and eventually it transforms hostility into dialogue.
He is of the opinion that small, achievable wins are possible to achieve cooperation. A short ceasefire that holds. One or two of the hostages escaped. One initial delivery of humanitarian services that are received by those in need. Every achievement, be it small, turns into a brick of a significantly bigger base.
Inclusion is another important aspect of the diplomatic philosophy of Powell. He says that it is either you include all the major actors on the table, however controversial, or the negotiations will fail. Many are not comfortable with the idea but history tends to back his reasoning. Peace, he urges can be possible only among people who are literally fighting.
The Promise and the Risk
Although the Gaza peace pact has brought hopes, it is still frail. Peace ceasefires are unraveled at night. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, the implementation is challenging due to the political differences. And regional politics of power have been complicated by the presence of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States.
Powell is more aware of such challenges than most. His encounter in Northern Ireland made him realize that peace arrangements are delicate entities. They have to be cultivated even after the signatures have dried. In Gaza that is not just to halt the shooting. It implies reconstruction of homes, hospitals and schools; reestablishment of electricity and clean water and making people feel that peace has something to offer them.
It also involves having to traverse enormous political risk. Opponents in different capitals claim that by liaising with groups that are considered to be terrorists, it legitimizes them. Others are afraid that concession will compensate violence. Powell in turn disputes this by arguing that it is worse to oppose engagement, to allow mistrust and hopelessness to grow until the next war is fought.
Behind the Scenes
Not many people are aware of the way such negotiations are made. It entails dozens of moving components – covert meetings, regional conventions, humanitarian coordination, and under cover communication. It has been reported that Powell has played the role of keeping channels of communication between the different stakeholders and would not lose momentum in the event that the discussions are stalled.
Diplomacy, you see, he says, is not about magnificent movements but perseverance. At the moment when tempers are flaring, one party is walking off, the task of the mediator is to hold the door open. It is tedious, tiring labor–but sometimes, at last weary feet do creep along a mile at a time.
A British Revival in Foreign Policy.
The fact that Powell returned to the diplomatic stage in a high profile way also marks something bigger a resurrection of the British influence in the international peace making. The UK foreign policy had been pushed to the margins in the years before, as the efforts of the Americans and the Europeans overshadowed the UK foreign policy. The Gaza project is an attempt to re-establish a role that is pragmatic, but with moral intent.
This does not just concern reputation to Britain. It is about regaining confidence – demonstrating that it can be a straight shooter even in disagreements between allies. The effort is given the credibility that few are able to give because Powell is a neutral and a patient mediator.
What Comes Next
The following weeks will show whether the Gaza peace negotiations can turn into a long-term contract, or will topple due to the burden of distrust. The first challenge is to continue the ceasefire and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to people who require it the most. The negotiations of longer-term political arrangements – decisions regarding the governance, reconstruction funding, and the future role of various factions within Gaza will be the next step.
To Powell and the diplomatic community at large, the mission is more of a moral than a strategic one. The reunification of each family, the reconstruction of each school, the clearing of rubble out of every neighborhood are all counts as a triumph of peace. However, improvement will rely on tolerance, compromise and never-ending involvement, all of which have grown more and more uncommon in the present-day world.
The Legacy of Dialogue
The career of Jonathan Powell serves as a lesson that peace never comes as a miracle, but as a result of never giving up. His approach is low-key, human and incredibly political: speak to everyone, listen more than talk, and never think that confrontation is here to stay.
Should the Gaza peace accord work, at least the partial success of the same, it will prove that philosophy right again. And in case it fails, it will nonetheless be evidence that there are people who can dare to attempt, to continue believing that words can make wars come to an end.
No one ever had to say that to make peace you can only continue when everyone has given up, that is the main reason why Powell himself said many times, that the only way to make peace is to continue going when everyone has given up. That is the only hope there can be, in Gaza, as in so many other conflicts.
