Mediation
Mediation has a long and generally honourable record in the history of diplomacy. It is by definition multilateral and can occur, as in the momentous talks on the Middle East at Camp David in September 1978, at the summit. To this extent, it raises questi
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Mediation has a long and generally honourable record in the history of diplomacy. It is by definition multilateral and can occur, as in the momentous talks on the Middle East at Camp David in September 1978, at the summit. To this extent, it raises questions identical to those discussed in Chapters 11 and 12. But mediation requires separate treatment because it raises separate questions and is so important. It is particularly necessary in long, bitter disputes in which the parties are unable to compromise without seriously jeopardizing the domestic positions of their leaders. It is usually needed the more when the parties retain the most profound distrust of each other’s intentions, where cultural differences present an additional barrier to communication, and where at least one of the parties refuses to recognize the other. The presence of mediation in international conflicts, and also in civil wars, is extensive, although only occasionally does it attract great attention: some form of official mediation alone was enjoyed by 255 of the 310 conflicts between 1945 and 1974 (Princen: 5). At the time of writing, it seems even more difficult to find conflicts in which intermediaries – unofficial, as well as official – are not participating in one way or another. What does mediation involve? What motivates the mediator? What are the intermediary’s ideal attributes? Should the start of a mediation effort wait until the time for a settlement is ripe? And what are the drawbacks of involving third parties in disputes?
The nature of mediation Mediation is a special kind of negotiation designed, at the least, to manage and, at the most, to promote the settlement of a conflict, although what might constitute ‘success’ in such endeavours is inevitably controversial 251
G. R. Berridge, Diplomacy © G. R. Berridge 2015
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Diplomacy
(Kleiboer: 361–2). In this negotiation a distinctive role is played by a third party; that is, one not directly involved in the dispute in question. It must be substantially impartial in the dispute – at least, once the negotiation has started and on the issue actually on the agenda. Certainly, the third party must want a settlement but any settlement with which the parties themselves will be happy. As to its role, in a mediation – which is not to be confused with being a ‘facilitator’ or provider of ‘good offices’ (Box 17.1) – the third party searches actively for a settlement and, for this reason, is sometimes described as a ‘full partner’ in the negotiations. Typically, this means drawing up an agenda, calling and chairing negotiating sessions, proposing solutions, and – where the third party is a powerful state – employing threats and promises in order to promote agreement. In short, mediation is the active search for a negotiated settlement to an international or intrastate conflict by an impartial third party. Box 17.1
Good offices, conciliation, and arbitration
A third party acting as a facilitator or provider of good offices has a more limited role than a mediator, usually involving no
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