Intermediaries in International Conflict

Few scholars have attempted to evaluate critically the role mediators play in managing international conflicts. Thomas Princen examines where mediation fits in the larger realm of diplomatic practice, going beyond the usual state-centric focus to account for the mediating activities of a wide range of actors-from superpowers to small states, from international organizations to nongovernmental groups.

Originally published in 1992.

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"In the context of international politics, Princen provides enlightening answers to how intermediaries learn, how they develop their role, and how they function in the context of both the international system and domestic politics. The work draws from extensive contemporary research in the field of conflict resolution and will replace Oran R. Young's The Intermediaries: Third Parties in International Crises (1967) as the definitive text."

"This book is a 'must read' for students of international negotiation and conflict resolution. Princen has systematically examined a dimension of international negotiation that traditionally has been explored primarily by historians and the legal profession, namely, the role mediators play in managing international conflict."---Linda P. Brady, American Political Science Review