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Mediation Success in the Frame of Liberal Peace Critique

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The Era of Private Peacemakers

Part of the book series: Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies ((RCS))

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Abstract

The dominating peace mediation literature has positioned itself more on positivist theories and focused on mediation as phenomena of rational management. From the positivist research angle, a normative basis of mediation, a definition of mediation success and unintended (negative) impacts of mediation were not regarded to be interesting targets of research. The question of how peace mediation would support peace processes preceding and following the actual mediation situation was omitted as mediation is seen as a particular and targeted form of intervention appropriate solely to a particular stage of the conflict cycle. As liberal peace has been a hegemonic norm of regulating and justifying international (peace) interventions, it is obvious that peace mediation cannot remain outside of this normative basis. Nonetheless, if peace mediation success is evaluated from a broader perspective and the sustainability of peace is emphasized, its track-record does not appear to be as trouble-free as it is usually presented to be, since an increasing number of peace processes have failed to build a sustainable peace. New approaches to the durability of peace have concentrated on focusing how a mediated solution sets premises and enables or, in the worst case, prevents the building of sustainable peace for years onwards. From this perspective, a critique of the belief of rational management and of the depoliticized peace process that has constituted a basis of liberal interventionism holds great relevance to peace mediation practice.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Wallensteen and Svensson (2014), Bercovitch (1997, 2002, 2008a, b).

  2. 2.

    Coleman (2012, p. 66).

  3. 3.

    Cantekin (2016, pp. 80–81).

  4. 4.

    Ole Wæver’s keynote lecture at ‘Approaches to Peace Mediation: Is There Space For a Nordic Approach’ seminar held at Tampere 14.8.2013.

  5. 5.

    Coleman (2012, pp. 68–69).

  6. 6.

    UN (2017): Report of the Secretary-General.

  7. 7.

    Eriksson and Kostić (2013a, pp. 9, 17), Aggestam and Björkdhal (2009).

  8. 8.

    Eriksson and Kostić (2013a, p. 5), Helgesen (2007, p. 15).

  9. 9.

    Kostić (2013).

  10. 10.

    Svensson and Wallensteen (2010, pp. 120–122, 126).

  11. 11.

    Fixdal (2012a, pp. 17–18).

  12. 12.

    Ibid., pp. 158–159.

  13. 13.

    Albin and Druckman (2010, pp. 109–119; 2012, pp. 155–173). See also Fixdal (2012a, p. 44).

  14. 14.

    Eriksson and Kostić (2013a, p. 33; 2013b, p. 160).

  15. 15.

    Fixdahl (2012b, p. 17).

  16. 16.

    Richmond and MacGinty (2015, p. 171).

  17. 17.

    MacMillan (2013, pp. 1039–1047).

  18. 18.

    Chandler (2010), Richmond (2013).

  19. 19.

    Cubitt (2013, p. 94).

  20. 20.

    MacMillan (2013, pp. 1039–1040).

  21. 21.

    Paris (2002).

  22. 22.

    Cubitt (2013, p. 94).

  23. 23.

    Wolff and Zimmermann (2016, pp. 513–514).

  24. 24.

    Cubitt (2013), Richmond (2013), Roberts (2011), Mitchell (2011). This is so-called 4th generation peace-building debate.

  25. 25.

    Richmond (2011).

  26. 26.

    Richmond (2014).

  27. 27.

    Richmond (2013, p. 70).

  28. 28.

    Roberts (2011, pp. 2542–2543, 2556).

  29. 29.

    Eriksson and Kostić (2013b, pp. 159–162).

  30. 30.

    Ibid., p. 162.

  31. 31.

    Paffenholz Ross (2015, p. 29).

  32. 32.

    Tamminen (2012), Piiparinen (2012); African Union In Mediation.

  33. 33.

    Peacemaking in the new world disorder, Oslo Forum (2015).

  34. 34.

    Hellmülle et al. (2015).

  35. 35.

    Brigg and Bleiker (2010).

  36. 36.

    de Coning (2018, p. 302).

  37. 37.

    Mitchell (2011, p. 1633).

  38. 38.

    Westendorf (2015, p. 4).

  39. 39.

    Ibid.

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  1. Tampere Peace Research Institute, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland

    Marko Lehti

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Lehti, M. (2019). Mediation Success in the Frame of Liberal Peace Critique. In: The Era of Private Peacemakers. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91201-1_5

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