Mediating International Crises

This new book shows how international crises are dangerous episodes that can be destabilizing not only to the actors directly involved but also to the entire international system. Recognizing the primacy of crises as defining moments in internationalrelations, scholars and policy makers alike are increasingly concerned with identifying mechanisms for crisis prevention, management and resolution. Mediating International Crises is the first comprehensive study into one such mechanism that has been used with increasing frequency in the 20th Century: mediation by a third party. This important research attempts to determine whether third party mediation is an effective means of alleviating or managing the turbulent and violent consequences of crises. The authors examine threeapproaches to mediation: facilitation communication between parties, formulating possibleagreements and manipulating the parties through sanctions or rewards. They explore how these mediation approaches affect crisis outcomes throughsanctions or rewards The book begins with a thorough discussion of the theoretical literature on mediation, with particular attention paid to the important distinction between crisis management and conflict resolution. The authors then provide empirical analyses of instances of mediation in 20th century international crises, which is supplemented with data derived from simulated negotiation settings with human subjects.

Preface and Acknowledgements Chapter 1. The Role of Mediation in Managing International Crises, Chapter 2. A Multi-Method Exploration of Crisis Mediation Chapter 3. Patterns of Crisis Mediation in the International System Chapter 4. Mediation Style Chapter 5. Crisis Mediation and Relative Power Chapter 6. Crisis Mediation, Ripeness, and Zones of Agreement Chapter 7. Conclusion, Appendix A: Mediated International Crises, 1918-2001, Appendix B: Ecuador-Peru Simulation Crisis Scenarios, Endnotes, Bibliography, Index.