Track Two Dialogue in Times of War – Unsuitable or Advancing Peace for Ukraine?

Abstract Massive intergroup violence such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to inflict devastating harm to individuals and societies. Civil societies generally do not need to remain inactive and can support peace processes even in severely escalated, apparently unsolvable intergroup conflicts. However, such engagement is delicate, and the exact conditions that make such commitment possible and effective in ‘classic’ interstate war settings remain unclear. Herbert C. Kelman (1927–2022), a social psychologist at Harvard University, developed seminal approaches of unofficial ‘Track Two’ diplomacy and problem-solving, mainly in the Israeli-Palestinian intergroup conflict. Using metatheory and critical hermeneutics, we suggest its current updated form is the conceptual enhancement from inter-group to complex intra/inter-national settings. Therefore, Track Two approaches can be valuable in the Russia/Ukraine setting. The paper outlines initial efforts of ongoing facilitated dialogue, unilateral on both sides and inter-coordinational between , offering inroads in an interstate context where conflict transformation is desperately needed.