It ain’t over ’til it’s over: what role for mediation in post-agreement contexts?
International mediation is conventionally treated as the reserve of peace processes which, once culminating in a peace agreement, are expected to progress to implementation and various forms of post-conflict recovery in which mediation would have little or no part. Many have criticised the degree to which mediators focus on getting a deal and getting out, leaving the messy business of implementing those deals to others, at least until the deals fray or come apart, requiring new rounds of mediation.
This paper examines whether there may also be a role for mediation-like efforts in relation to post-agreement dialogue processes or similar efforts to broaden popular support for a settlement.