Abstract
This chapter begins by explaining the nature of mediation, in the process distinguishing it from good offices, conciliation, and arbitration. Mediators come in all shapes and sizes and have different motives, but are conveniently divided into those represented by the terms ‘track one’ and ‘track two’—states and international organizations, and private individuals and non-governmental organizations, respectively. Multiparty mediation is described as now so common as probably to be the norm, and can be simultaneous or sequential, coordinated or uncoordinated; however, the incentive to achieve a settlement is greatest if one mediator assumes sole responsibility, for its prestige is at stake. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the attributes of the ideal mediator and the doctrine of the ‘ripe moment’.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Further Reading
Bailey, Sydney D. and Sam Daws, The Procedure of the UN Security Council, 3rd edn (Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1998). Ch. 3 (1), ‘Secretary-General’.
Bercovitch, J., ‘International Mediation and Intractable Conflict’, in Burgess, Guy and Heidi Burgess (eds.), Beyond Intractability (Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado: Boulder, Colo., 2004) [www].
Berridge, G. R. (ed.), Diplomatic Classics: Selected texts from Commynes to Vattel (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, 2004). Index references to ‘mediation’.
Burgess, Heidi and Guy Burgess, Conducting Track II Peacemaking (USIP: Washington, DC, 2010) [www].
Byrnes, Timothy A., ‘Sovereignty, supranationalism, and soft power: The Holy See in international relations’, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, vol. 15(4), 2017 [www]. Discusses role of the Holy See and Catholic prelates in the restoration of US–Cuba diplomatic relations in 2015, pp. 17–19.
Christopher, W. et al., American Hostages in Iran: The conduct of a crisis (Yale University Press: New Haven, CT, 1985).
Clinton, Hillary Rodham, Hard Choices (Simon and Schuster: London, 2014). On Oman’s good offices between the US and Iran, pp. 416–17, 434–8, 444–5.
Crocker, C. A. et al. (eds.), Herding Cats: Multiparty mediation in a complex world (USIP: Washington, DC, 1999).
Doucet, Lyse, ‘Troubled path to talks with Taliban’, BBC News, 20 June 2013 [www].
Holbrooke, Richard, To End a War (Random House: New York, 1998).
Hooper, John, ‘Renewed US–Cuba relations biggest success in Vatican diplomacy in decades’, The Guardian, 17 December 2014 [www].
Kleiboer, Marieke, ‘Understanding success and failure of international mediation’, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 40(2), June 1996 [www]. A lengthy trailer for the book (immediately below); very acute.
Kleiboer, Marieke, The Multiple Realities of International Mediation (Lynne Rienner: Boulder, CO, 1998).
Kunz, Josef L., ‘Austria’s permanent neutrality’, American Journal of International Law, vol. 50(2), April 1956. On Austria’s fit to permanent neutrality in international law.
Lantis, Jeffrey S., The Life and Death of International Treaties: Double-edged diplomacy and the politics of ratification in comparative perspective (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009).
Lindsley, L., ‘The Beagle Channel settlement: Vatican mediation resolves a century old dispute’, Journal of Church and State, vol. 29(3), 1987.
Mediation Support Unit, ‘UN support to local mediation: Challenges and opportunities’, 17 November 2020 [www].
Mitchell, George J., Making Peace (Heinemann: London, 1999). On the Good Friday agreement.
Quandt, W. B., Camp David: Peacemaking and politics (Brookings Institution: Washington, DC, 1986). An authoritative insider’s account of Jimmy Carter’s mediation between the Egyptian and Israeli leaders in 1978.
Ross, Dennis, Statecraft: And how to restore America’s standing in the world (Farrar, Strauss: New York, 2007). Chs 10 and 11.
Smith, Amy L. and David R. Smock, Managing a Mediation Process (USIP: Washington, DC, 2008) [www].
Touval, S., The Peace Brokers: Mediators in the Arab–Israeli conflict, 1948–1979 (Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, 1982).
UN Department of Political Affairs, ‘Mediation Support’ [www].
USIP, The Peacemaker’s Toolkit [www]. This extremely valuable site provides free PDF downloads of numerous ‘best practice’ handbooks on key aspects of mediation, including the timing of mediation, working with ‘groups of friends’, and track two.
Whitfield, Teresa, Working with Groups of Friends (USIP: Washington, DC, 2010) [www].
Wilkenfeld, J. et al., Mediating International Crises (Routledge: London, 2005).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Berridge, G.R. (2022). Mediation. In: Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85931-2_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85931-2_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85930-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85931-2
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)