Intermediaries in International Conflict (Princeton Legacy Library, 204) - Hardcover

Princen, T

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691078971 ISBN 13: 9780691078977

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1992

Synopsis

Few scholars have attempted to evaluate critically the role mediators play in managing international conflicts. Thomas Princen examines where mediation fits in the larger realm of diplomatic practice, going beyond the usual state-centric focus to account for the mediating activities of a wide range of actors-from superpowers to small states, from international organizations to nongovernmental groups.

Originally published in 1992.

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About this title

Review:

"This book is a 'must read' for students of international negotiation and conflict resolution. Princen has systematically examined a dimension of international negotiation that traditionally has been explored primarily by historians and the legal profession, namely, the role mediators play in managing international conflict."--Linda P. Brady, American Political Science Review

"In the context of international politics, Princen provides enlightening answers to how intermediaries learn, how they develop their role, and how they function in the context of both the international system and domestic politics. The work draws from extensive contemporary research in the field of conflict resolution and will replace Oran R. Young's The Intermediaries: Third Parties in International Crises (1967) as the definitive text."--Choice

"Princen's book is an excellent--indeed, outstanding--work of its kind.... [Policymakers], like scholars, can draw on such work most profitably to deepen their understanding of this important international process."--Alan James, Survival

Synopsis:

With increasing interest in mediation at both the domestic and international levels, considerable descriptive and prescriptive work has emerged. Few scholars, however, have attempted to critically evaluate the role mediators play in managing international conflicts. Thomas Princen does this by examining where mediation fits into the larger realm of diplomatic practice. Moreover, he goes beyond the usual state-centric focus to account for the mediating activities of a wide range of actors - from superpowers to small states, from international organizations to nongovernmental groups. A major theoretical finding is that the effect of intervention depends critically on the bargaining relationship the mediator has with the disputants. Somewhat paradoxically, those mediators with "bargaining power" are not always the most effective. In fact, the very "powerlessness" of some mediators enables them to do what powerful ones cannot - namely, affect the norms of interaction between disputants.

Empirical findings show how mediation seen from the mediator's point of view deviates from idealized depictions and how an intermediary must define and negotiate a role constantly while trying to bring the disputants to agreement.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0691078971
• ISBN 13: 9780691078977
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 284