UNDERSTANDING SUCCESS AND FAILURE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION

This article presents and assesses the state of the art in research on the course and outcomes of international mediation. The review consis ts of three parts. First, the elusive notion of mediation success is a ddressed. Second, the key contextual and process factors thought to ex plain international mediation outcomes are discussed. The final part r aises a number of problems with current theorizing, and a plea is made For a more fundamental reflection on the assumptions underlying prese nt research. Using a heuristic adaptation of the metatheoretical frame work developed by Burrell and Morgan, it is argued that four fundament ally different currents of thought about international conflict and it s management may be discerned. These four proto-theories may help us t o put into perspective current debates and contradictory findings, as well as generate a more coherent foundation for future research on the success and failure of mediation in international conflict.