ABSTRACT
The body of literature about mediation in international disputes is rich and manifold. Almost every author has proposed his own definition of the concept of mediation, putting the emphasis on different aspects of the phenomenon. Some definitions emphasize the aims of the mediation activity; others put the accent on the mediators’ attributes, still others aim to distinguish mediation from other forms of third party intervention in conflict resolution (Bercovitch, 1992). Among the definitions of the first type, Bercovitch (1992) cites very simple examples of conceptualization that define mediation as an intervention made by an actor who is not directly involved in the dispute and who is driven by the desire to bring the parties to an agreement (Eckhoff, 1966; Stenelo, 1972; Young, 1967; Mitchell, 1981). The second type of definitions emphasizes certain characteristics of the mediator. The majority of these definitions stress the need for a neutral intervention that should be both impartial (Moore, 1987) and competent (Davis and Dugan, 1982).
