International Mediation and Social Networks: The Importance of Indirect Ties

Zusammenfassung

In this chapter I extend the previous research on actors’ interaction in conflict management by examining how direct and indirect links between fighting parties influence the onset of international mediation. The literature on mediation frequently puts an emphasis on the demand-side incentives by arguing that stronger or more friendly relations between belligerents make the onset of mediation more likely (e.g. Deutsch 1973; Bercovitch and Houston 2000: 180f; Greig and Diehl 2006). The existing research on third-party conflict resolution generally examines this argument through direct links, i.e. bilateral ties. However, the theoretical reasoning for focusing on these kinds of ties is incomplete since it does not consider links to potential mediators. Also, the empirical support for the expectation that direct links facilitate mediation onset is not as strong as often assumed. Many conflict dyads either have no or few direct ties, yet see multiple mediation attempts. Israel and Egypt, for example, hardly had strong diplomatic contact, significant trade or other sorts of direct relations in the 1970 s, but their various disputes over the Sinai Peninsula experienced many mediation efforts.