GLOBAL VOICES: OPPONENTS IN MADAGASCAR SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND TO END VIOLENCE

Since late January and early February, political violence has plagued Madagascar.  According to Lova Rakotomalala, blogging on behalf of Global Voices, after many failed attempts to bring the two sides together, President Marc Ravalomanana and Andry Rajoelina surprisingly came together on neutral ground to end the violence and harsh rhetoric.  Hopefully these actions will build common ground to reduce the rift between the three groups now divided on the island–two supporting the each of the political rivals and one supporting the pre-crisis status quo.  

Question for the Blogosphere:  What are the mutual interests between the government and the political rivals in Madagascar?  In crises, is common ground more or less likely to appear?  For example, a crisis can make people see that they both have a concern for the survival of their state, whereas if the conflict is in a stalemate, the situation may not seem as dire and therefore these commonalities may not be thrust to the fore.  Do you believe that some cultures are more likely to search for common ground on their own, or are civilizational arguments like this antiquated?