Attempting to resolve armed conflicts is generally a highly uncertain undertaking in which third parties can have a decisive role. Within the framework of their interventions, third parties can significantly improve the effectiveness of their interventions through solid up-to-date and ongoing conflict analysis.

In Conflict analysis: the foundation for effective action, the fifth publication in the Mediation Practice Series, Konrad Huber explains why and how conflict analysis can be instrumental in supporting third parties. He introduces seven key components that can usefully inform a rigorous practical approach to conflict analysis. Those building blocks are: the context, the actors, the process design and sequencing, the issues of negotiations, the comparative practice, and the implementation roadblocks.