Conflict parties' interests in mediation

Experience has shown that mediation can positively contribute to solving violent conflict. In order to improve mediation practices and support activities, this brief considers the mediation process through the perspective of conflicting parties.
 
The authors seekconsider stakeholders’ interests in third party mediations, such as:

• Why do conflict stakeholders seek third party mediators? Conflicting parties do not usually opt for negotiations with their enemies. It is rather because they believe that negotiations may serve their interests better
  
• When do conflict stakeholders seek third party mediation? As a general rule, conflict stakeholders consider impartial mediation to be a risk and rarely engage third parties voluntarily. Thus, calling on third parties for mediation is usually not a tool of first choice
  
• Where should mediation take place? In principle, mediation and negotiators should be conducted within the country in conflict or nearby because agreements taken inside a country enhance national ownership, both in symbolic and practical ways
  
• What do conflicting parties expect from third party mediations? Conflicting parties will try to manipulate the mediator and expect him/her to make their opponents better understand the legitimacy of their interests and demands in order to trigger a change of the current attitude and behaviour on the opponent side.

The paper offers a number of conclusions/recommendations, including:

• The motivation of conflicting parties to seek mediation is driven by self interests
  
• If the conflict parties realise that they cannot manipulate the mediator, they will expect that he/she takes responsibility for a fair and responsive process
  
• Conflicting parties trust insider mediators, who often play a vital role in interparty dialogue, as trusted messengers, and more
  
• Therefore it is important to strengthen the roles/capacities of inside mediators.