Yet another of the pioneering generation of conflict researchers who combined practical activity with thoughtful reflection and analysis has passed on and left the rest of us sad but determined to carry on her work and to build on her ideas. Louise Diamond passed away in Burlington, VT last May 20th after a long struggle with cancer. Those of use who knew and worked with her will remember her calm approach to the most intractable situations and her sympathetic ability to empathise to everyone from all sides caught up in the usually destructive dynamics of protracted conflicts, so often leading to fear, hatred and desires for vengeance.
We at S-CAR probably remember Louise best as one of the founders, with Ambassador John McDonald, of the Instutute for Multi-Track Diplomacy and as the joint author - again with John - of the classic work "Multi-Track Diplomacy - A Systems Approach to Peace". However, IMTD was only one of the peace related organisations that Louise founded or helped to found. These ranged from locally focused institutions such as "Networks" in Burlington, Vt, to "Peaceworks" in Takoma Park, Maryland from which base Louise carried out most of her training work in the Middle East during the period 1988 to 1992. Her last organisational initiative was "The Peace Company" in Bristol, Vermont, from which one could obtain material [posters, flags, toys, games etc.] that helped in the task of developing a culture of peace in this country, a needed effort to counter the torrent of war games and war toys that flood commercial outlets and produce youthful warriors who have yet to experience the realities of actual combat.
As a practitioner, Louise worked both locally and internationally. Again, most familiar to colleagues in ICAR and S-CAR, Louise was well known for her links to the Tibetan Government in Exile and to the Dalai Lama, although her role was to provide guidance and advice about Western diplomatic methods and Western assumptions and narratives - world views - rather than providing partisan political support for Tibetan aims and aspirations. She also had a long standing commitment to building bridges between both communities on Cyprus, and the development of a substantial cross community cohort of peacemakers and peacebuilders on the island was much influenced by her efforts.
It was from her experiences on Cyprus and her involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that Louise was able to develop her concept of the "conflict-habituated" society which, in and of itself, presented a major obstacle to any moves towards true peace. Another of her contributions to the field was the straightforward but practical "Peace Book" - subtitled "108 simple ways to create a more peaceful world". The latter publication was an example of Louise's ability to take complex ideas from the academic side of the field and to make them both understandable and useful to the practical non-specialist. It is an ability that will be one of the reasons that all of us in the field will miss our colleague and friend, Louise Diamond.
Christopher Mitchell
June 2015
Photo: Louise Diamond Commencement Address at S-CAR Graduation 2013
Links: Obituary | IMTD Farewell | Personal Website: Louise Diamond: A life of spirit-in-action