The Go-Between: Jan Eliasson and the Styles of Mediation

Success in international mediation hinges on the skill, style, and methods of the mediator. This volume explores international mediation through the lens of Ambassador Jan Eliasson, an international go-between with a remarkable track record. Authors Svensson and Wallensteen contend that international mediators styles vary in four dimensions scope, method, mode, and focus and that the mandate mediators receive strongly determines the style they adopt. The authors draw lessons for the peacemaking process from their examination of how Eliasson entered, prepared, pursued, and finally ended his mediation efforts. Svensson and Wallensteen evaluate Eliasson's role in six cases: two missions on the Iran-Iraq conflict; two cases of humanitarian diplomacy, in Burma/Myanmar and in Sudan; and two cases of internal armed conflicts, in Nagorno-Karabakh and in Darfur. Analyzing the role of the mediator in each of these instances offers insight into the constraints mediators face and outcomes they may achieve in other scenarios. The authors conclude with ten implications for mediation research and practice. As a special feature of this volume, the authors incorporate excerpts from extensive interviews and diary entries from Jan Eliasson on his mediation experiences.