ABSTRACT
Intractable conflicts that take place within the borders of one country may be particularly resistant to settlement because of the nature of the conflict itself. These conflicts often involve deep-seated identity and grievance issues as well as a considerable amount of war profiteering by representatives of one group or another. Peaceful settlement by means of mediation, either by itself or in conjunction with a peace-enforcement effort, is a third option for handling intractable conflicts. Mediation requires substantial commitment on the part of the conflict parties to change their calculus from favoring war to favoring peace. Protracted conflicts need protracted mediation by a set of skilled mediators from diverse institutions working in concert. A prolonged conflict is unlikely to be fully settled unless the wider public is brought along; when this is ignored, the leaders and mediators run the risk of losing popular support for the process.
