ABSTRACT
One of the central tasks of diplomacy at an international level is contributing to the pacific settlement of disputes between states and other actors. The continued proliferation of disputes and armed conflict in the Cold War and post-Cold War period, many marked by their seeming insolubility, ethnic and nationalist nature or association with the break-up of the former Soviet Union, has meant the constant adaptation of diplomatic methods. This chapter will focus especially on one of these methods – mediation – and will examine the nature of mediation, the mediators, methods used in mediation and the limitations or success of mediation efforts.
