Steenhausen, P: Negotiating Among Mediators

Although international violent conflicts are commonly mediated by multiple third parties, relatively little scholarship exists on the phenomenon. This book focuses on four major, but understudied, aspects of multiparty mediation: (1) the coalition-building process that transforms a conflict from a single-party to a multiparty effort; (2) the conditions under which coordination among mediators is more or less likely; (3) the varying strategies and tactics they opt to use when negotiating with each other, as well as with the disputants; and (4) how these factors influence the outcome of conflicts. Using the Cyprus conflict as a case study and verbal negotiation theory as a conceptual framework, this study ascertains and compares the perceptions, behaviors, and interactions of various third parties -- including the United States, Great Britain, and United Nations -- during three international crises. In so doing, a new concept and several new hypotheses are generated, which can be applied to other conflicts for purposes of generalization.