ABSTRACT
Observers and analysts of mediation and its effects often cluster all mediator activities together as one type of third-party intervention, without regard to the different ways in which mediation might be employed. One of the most notable variations among mediators is the style of mediation used – to what degree does the mediator try to direct the discussions of crisis actors? Is a mediator willing and/or able to propose a solution to the conflict under discussion? Is he/she able to utilize leverage to push the parties toward agreement? Or, does the mediator adopt a more “restrained” approach, serving as a go-between among the sides to a crisis? The style that a mediator employs in a given situation can have a pronounced impact on that mediator’s effect on a conflict or crisis. As such, mediation style needs to be taken into consideration in any effort to better understand the potential of mediation as a tool for international crisis management.
