Varieties of Mediating Activities and Mediators in International Relations

This article focuses on a lot of different elements of mediation. The success of mediation can be hard to define; it comes in many forms like de-escalation, settlement, and enduring resolutions. An important aspect of mediation is the timing of the mediating activity, which is very similar to the concept of a conflict’s ‘ripeness.’ The international context affects the timing of mediation because at some points in time there are more mediating type organizations. Public pressure can also affect the timing of mediation through public opinion surveys, policy makers, and visible support. The relationship between the adversaries, I think, has the most affect on the timing of mediation. Parties can go though stages of their relationship and their parity of power is necessary for mutual accommodation. Parties can have fluxes of power.

Mediation has a variety of stages and the pre-negotiation stage is one of the most important. This is the stage where strategic choices are made and issues are decided on. The initiation stage involves explaining the process to the parties. Negotiation is where a lot of the interparty contact happens, and the implementation stage involves putting the settlement into action. Mediators are not always official professionals; they can be church officials or other informal people.