Conclusion
Parties to a conflict need help to extricate themselves. Winning may be unlikely, but the parties may be too embroiled in the conflict to perceive the stalemate or think of a way out. They need-even if they do not welcome-the help of a mediator.
Ripeness is a characteristic of conflict, and heightened conflict and attempts at escalation may be necessary to set up the conditions for ripeness. If a mediator can help the parties see that danger before they prove it to themselves by escalation, the mediator will be performing a great service to the parties and to the world.
The tactics of ripeness involve helping the conflicting parties see and emerge from a mutually hurting stalemate. The mediator must emphasize that there are no winners and no losers in ending the conflict. The path from a stalemate to an acceptable outcome begins with the conveyed willingness to seek a way out and a perception by each party that the other has that willingness.
Third parties who see involvement in a conflict as mediators in their interest must begin with their own assessment of ripeness; if the assessment is positive, mediators must convey that fact to the conflicting parties and help them perceive it. In this process, mediators look for indicators of the objective facts and of the parties' perception of them. The biggest job of mediators is to enhance that perception; after that, guiding the parties toward the discovery of their own solutions follows naturally (even if not easily).
Once the process of discovery and invention has begun, it is important to keep the notions of a mutually hurting stalemate and a way out alive. The perception of a way out turns gradually into a solution, but the perception of a painful stalemate must remain present to keep the parties on track. If they forget it, they may be tempted to drop out of negotiations and lunge for a one-sided victory.
If such a perception is not forthcoming, the mediator is pulled into the more demanding role of helping to create the stalemate and its associated pain. Acting as a manipulative mediator takes commitment and runs r