Mediated peace agreements

Siniša Vuković

Chapter 20 in Handbook on the Politics of International Agreements, 2026, pp 304-324 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter analyzes the persistent gap between the signing of mediated peace agreements and their long-term durability. It asserts that the outcome is shaped by the deeply political interplay of mediator strategy, identity, and process design. A key finding is the paradoxical decline in both the frequency of conflicts subject to international mediation and the total number of mediated agreements concluded since the early 1990s, especially between 2013 and 2021. The chapter evaluates durability based on the complex causal relationship between the mediator's strategic application of leverage (coercive hard power versus the vital soft power of legitimacy and normative influence), the existence of a Mutually Hurting Stalemate and Mutually Enticing Opportunities, and the deliberate architecture of the negotiation process, including actor-specific and thematic inclusion. Ultimately, the efficacy of mediated outcomes demands a nuanced analysis of these dynamic and often constrained pathways.

Keywords: Peace Mediation; Durability; Mediation Strategy; Leverage; Legitimacy; Ripeness; Inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318582
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