ABSTRACT
Mediation is practised in a variety of fields, ranging from domestic disputes through legal conflicts and community disputes to international conflicts. Thus, mediation may be studied by sociologists, psychologists, political scientists, anthropologists, economists and others. These scholars borrow concepts and methods from each other. Whichever approach or discipline one adopts, the study of mediation is something of a research puzzle for which we must find less than perfect answers through the analysis of data. Some of the questions that make up the mediation puzzle include the following:
• When should a mediator enter a dispute? Should one wait till a certain threshold of violence has been crossed, or is it better to intervene before the parties engage in openly hostile behaviour?
