‘Quam fluctus diversi, quam mare conjuncti – though the waves are many, the sea is one.’
In the late 1980’s secret talks were held in England between the African National Congress – the political party who spearheaded the South African independence movement, and the South African Government. These took place in a series of clandestine meetings held over several years, which were set up and mediated by an executive with Consolidated Goldfields, a British mining company which had a commercial stake in the future political stability of South Africa, see: Michael Young discusses his role as facilitator in anti-apartheid negotiations – Harvard Law School | Harvard Law School
Inspired by that model and other precedents, including the mediated talks which resulted in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and lessons which can be drawn today from diplomacy conducted in the Middle East by Henry Kissinger during the Nixon and Ford administrations, and by Dennis Ross who was the chief Middle East peace negotiator for both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, this website contains an evolving bank of legal materials, on-line library resources, news, talks, articles, and blogs, about the dynamic and inter-related subjects of:
(i) International Humanitarian Law & Mediation;
(ii) Geopolitical Mediation & Peace Building;
(iii) Track 2 Diplomacy; and
(iv) the Negotiation of Political Order, i.e. the negotiation through a Track 2 mediated process, of constitutional principles and an institutional framework for political survival and co-existence of the ‘stakeholders’ in a geo-political conflict, with the ambition of jointly developing a road-map for peace (i.e. a ‘Peace Process’), which results in the agreement and practical implementation of a coherent, comprehensive and sustainable ‘political’ solution to the underlying ‘root’ and ‘dynamic’ causes of the conflict (i.e. a ‘Peace Treaty’). Thereby ensuring peace underwritten by security guarantees and International Law.
The website was founded by Carl Islam and went live in June 2014, and was listed (with his permission) on the website of the United States ‘American Foreign Service Association’ (the ‘AFSA’) based in Washington DC underneath the heading ‘Codes of Conduct from Other Services/Countries’ (http://www.afsa.org/ethics).
According to Google Analytics, in under 10 weeks the website grew from a zero readership to a weekly audience spread across Canada, the USA, South America, the Caribbean, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, North Africa, the Gulf states, Pakistan, India, China, South East Asia, and Australasia. See also the IONOS Website Analytics below.
Carl Amir-UL Islam
B.Soc.Sc (Keele) (Law & Political Science) (Joint Honours), LLM (Exon)(International Business Legal Studies), of Lincoln’s Inn and the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law (practising), TEP, SCMA accredited mediation advocate, Accredited Mediator and MSoM (Full Member of the Society of Mediators in London). CMC Registered Mediator: Mediator Search — Civil Mediation
1 EC Barristers, 3 Kings Bench Walk North, Temple, London EC4Y 7HR. (www.1ec.co.uk) and (www.ihtbar.com).
Dual qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court.
Founder of the Diplomatic Law Guide and author of ‘The inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises’ (1988), which was the first article to be published about the existence and legal effect of the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987. Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987 – Wikipedia
Text version available HERE. ‘The article was very helpful for getting our heads round a law we didn’t know existed until last night, so your work was put to good use.’ Dave McMullan, Senior Broadcast Journalist, The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4 (15 August 2012).
As a political science graduate, author, legal practitioner and mediator, with a special interest in Cultural Heritage and International Humanitarian Law, Carl is planning from 2025 to research and write a book provisionally entitled ‘Cultural Heritage Diplomacy.’
The book will examine and discuss the dynamic inter-relationship between:
(i) the significance and strategic importance of cultural property and heritage i.e. why it needs to be preserved and protected;
(ii) the framework of protective principles under international humanitarian law and human rights law;
(iii) preservation and stability of the international rules based system and order;
(iv) human security, development and the environment;
(v) peace-building, geopolitical mediation, and negotiating political order;
(vi) post-conflict transformation through a process of truth and reconciliation – which is linked to the jurisdiction and powers of the International Criminal Court, the award of reparations, and the public prosecution of war criminals; and
(vii) restitution and repatriation of cultural property.
This will be based upon:
- Primary sources.
- The Bibliography on the International Humanitarian Law & Mediation page.
- Other material assembled on this website.
IONOS Website Analytics 24.11.2022-24.11.2023 = 3647 visitors in over 29 counties spread across 6 continents
| CONTINENTS | |||
| North America | 1957 | ||
| Europe | 1031 | ||
| Asia | 593 | ||
| South America | 35 | ||
| Oceania | 16 | ||
| Africa | 15 | ||
| Could not be identified | 138 | ||
| COUNTRY | 24/11/2022 – 24/11/2023 | PERCENT | |
| United States of America | 1,912 | 50.52% | |
| Luxembourg | 584 | 15.43% | |
| Singapore | 214 | 5.65% | |
| Germany | 138 | 3.65% | |
| China | 100 | 2.64% | |
| France | 82 | 2.17% | |
| India | 68 | 1.80% | |
| Netherlands | 60 | 1.59% | |
| Vietnam | 55 | 1.45% | |
| United Kingdom | 41 | 1.08% | |
| Canada | 40 | 1.06% | |
| Hong Kong | 38 | 1.00% | |
| Brazil | 23 | 0.61% | |
| Iran | 21 | 0.56% | |
| Japan | 19 | 0.50% | |
| Russia | 18 | 0.48% | |
| Ukraine | 16 | 0.42% | |
| Australia | 15 | 0.40% | |
| South Korea | 14 | 0.37% | |
| Spain | 14 | 0.37% | |
| Indonesia | 13 | 0.34% | |
| Bulgaria | 13 | 0.34% | |
| Turkey | 12 | 0.32% | |
| Italy | 11 | 0.29% | |
| Austria | 10 | 0.26% | |
| Taiwan | 9 | 0.24% | |
| Israel | 9 | 0.24% | |
| Switzerland | 9 | 0.24% | |
| South Africa | 7 | 0.19% | |
| Malaysia | 7 | 0.19% | |
| Others | 75 | 1.98% | |
| Total | 3647 | 96.35% | |