Description
How do peacekeepers persuade two national militaries at war with each other to negotiate? The Tripartite Meetings are a unique invention of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) not seen elsewhere in peacekeeping. They are managed by UNIFIL and take place on the Blue Line, the line of withdrawal that separates Lebanon and Israel, two states that remain technically at war. Established by UNIFIL at the end of the Israel-Hizballah War of 2006, the Tripartite Meetings have occurred between representatives from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) on a regular basis ever since. The meetings discuss security incidents on the Blue Line with the aim of preventing escalation and extended military confrontations. Despite increased security challenges, the meetings have continued with no walk-outs or suspensions, and they have been recognized by successive UN Secretary Generals as comprising a critical contribution to local peace. We argue that the Tripartite meetings constitute a ritual that is important to all parties both to stabilize and to capture potential breaches to stability. Taking an interpretive approach in this article we analyse the micro-processes involved in the Tripartite Meetings to explain the how a ritual functions. We want to understand how a ritual is constituted, the effect it has on participants engaged in conflict, how it facilitates or hinders the negotiation of difficult topics; how it works as a reassurance mechanism when dealing with complex security challenges; and if it serves as a precursor to a broader political peace.
