ABSTRACT
In a world scarred by state collapse and murderous internal conflict, external actors can no longer sit by and watch, mesmerized by the blood on their television screens. The United Nations is rarely a corporate actor; it is merely a locus for the action of the members of its organs. The chapter focuses on mediation and convocation. Mediation is appropriate when there is a limited number of clear sides and when the interests of all need to be incorporated into any agreement that ends violence and restores a functioning political system. Convocation of a conference of the remaining political forces in the country—an extended form of mediation—is necessary when there are many parties and a need to fill a power vacuum in the collapsing state. Diplomatic intervention requires an entry point, a defined moment which, if passed by, becomes a missed opportunity and, if seized, becomes an occasion for effective action.
