Contributions to this volume consider the importance of mediation in violent conflict. Practical and applied, this publication will be of interest to scholars, academics, policymakers and practitioners. It was originally published as a special issue of Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.

"Peacemaking, or the practice of resolving wars and violent conflict through mediation, is one of the most essential ways to create global peace, stability and security. Long practiced by the great powers in their efforts to prevent regional disputes from escalating out of control and by the UN Secretary General as part of Chapter VI operations of the UN Charter, mediation is only now being appreciated as an essential element in the diplomatic tool kit of middle powers. In this context, middle power mediation is understood as the pursuit of specific activities that are consistent with their interests and values such as advancing human rights, resolving protracted conflict, preventing the renewal of civil war and the protection of civilians during war time. Contributions to this volume consider these activities through detailed empirical analysis that is both qualitative and quantitate in scope and through real world examples of successes and failures. Underlying theoretical assumptions regarding the motivations of middle powers are identified in order to distil key lessons and to illustrate the numerous challenges of undertaking effective mediation. Practical and applied, this publication will be of interest to scholars, academics, policymakers and practitioners. This book was originally published as a special issue of Canadian Foreign Policy Journal."--Provided by publisher.

Conflicts in the international system, both among and within states, bring death, destruction, and human misery. Understanding how third parties use mediation to encourage settlements and establish a durable peace among belligerents is vital for managing these conflicts. Among many features, this book empirically examines the history of post-World War II mediation efforts to: Chart the historical changes in the types of conflicts that mediation addresses and the links between different mediation efforts across time. Explore the roles played by providers of mediation in the international system - namely, individuals, states, and organizations - in managing violent conflicts. Gauge the influence of self-interest and altruism as motivating forces that determine which conflicts are mediated and which are ignored. Evaluate what we know about the willingness of parties in conflict to accept mediation, when and why it is most effective, and discuss the future challenges facing mediators in the contemporary world. Drawing on a wide range of examples from the Oslo Accords and Good Friday Agreement to efforts to manage the civil wars in Burundi, Tajikistan, and Bosnia, this book is an indispensable guide to international mediation for students, practitioners, and general readers seeking to understand better how third parties can use mediation to deal with the globe’s trouble spots.

Mediation is one of the most important methods of settling conflicts in the post-Cold War world. This text represents the most recent trends in the process and practice of international mediation.

Current conceptions of mediation can often fail to capture the complexity and intricacy of modern conflicts. This Research Handbook addresses this problem by presenting the leading expert opinions on international mediation, examining how international mediation practices, mechanisms and institutions should adapt to the changing characteristics of contemporary international crises.

This book is the first and only practical guide to negotiating peace. In this ground-breaking book Sven Koopmans, who is both a peace negotiator and a scholar, discusses the practice, politics, and law of international mediation. With both depth and a light touch he explores successful as well as failed attempts to settle the wars of the world, building on decades of historical, political, and legal scholarship. Who can mediate between warring parties? How to build confidence between enemies? Who should take part in negotiations? How can a single diplomat manage the major powers? What issues to discuss first, what last? When to set a deadline? How to maintain confidentiality? How to draft an agreement, and what should be in it? How to ensure implementation? The book discusses the practical difficulties and dilemmas of negotiating agreements, as well as existing solutions and possible future approaches. It uses examples from around the world, with an emphasis on the conflicts of the last twenty-five years, but also of the previous two-and-a-half-thousand. Rather than looking only at either legal, political or organizational issues, Negotiating Peace discusses these interrelated dimensions in the way they are confronted in practice: as an integral whole. With one leading question: what can be done?

"Introduces an innovative, practical approach to resolving an enduring issue: How can conflicts be resolved in polarized societies and fragile states?"--