Conclusion

Granting that mediation is an art, we hope that we have demonstrated in this handbook that lessons gleaned from the experience of many mediations as set forth in these pages will be helpful and will increase the likelihood that future interational mediation efforts will succeed. Every mediation situation is unique and some of the prescriptions set out here will apply in certain circumstances while others will not, but we believe that the guidelines set out above will be generally instructive both to new and even to experienced mediators.

Acknowledgments

The authors of this handbook and the editors of The Peacemaker's Toolkit series, A. Heather Coyne and Nigel Quinney, gratefully acknowledge the valuable contributions and guidance provided by Chester Crocker, Pamela Aall, Guy and Heidi Burgess, and Patricia Thomson; the thoughtful reviews by Paul Hare and Mohamed Sahnoun; and the supportive patience of Marie Marr Jackson.

About the Authors

Amy L. Smith, Ph.D., is a political scientist. As a senior partner in the consulting firm Social Insight, she writes on a variety of international issues, including conflict management, transitional justice, public health, and education issues. Her work generally concerns extracting public policy recommendations from scholarly research. She has conducted research for, taught for, and worked with a variety of advocacy and policy organizations in the United States, Brazil, and Switzerland. Her publications, in addition to several previous monographs for the United States Institute of Peace, include A Forced Agreement: Press Quiescence to Censorship in Brazil.

David Smock is vice president of the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution at the United States Institute of Peace and associate vice president for the Religion and Peacemaking program. He was previously director of the Institute's Grant Program. He is the author or editor of nine earlier books, including African Conflict Resolution, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding, Making War and Waging Peace, and The Politics of Pluralism. He lived for many years in Africa and the Middle East while employed by the Ford Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in social anthropology and African studies from Cornell University.

About the Institute

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote post-conflict peacebuilding, and increase conflict-management tools, capacity, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by directly engaging in peacebuilding projects around the globe.

Chairman of the Board: J. Robinson West

Vice Chairman: María Otero

President: Richard H. Solomon

Executive Vice President: Patricia Powers Thomson

Board of Directors

J. Robinson West (Chairman), Chairman, PFC Energy, Washington, D.C.

María Otero (Vice Chairman), President, ACCION International, Boston, Mass.

Holly J. Burkhalter, Vice President of Government Affairs, International Justice Mission, Washington, D.C.

Anne H. Cahn, Former Scholar in Residence, American University

Chester A. Crocker, James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Laurie S. Fulton, Partner, Williams and Connolly, Washington, D.C.

Charles Horner, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.

Kathleen Martinez, Executive Director, World Institute on Disability

George E. Moose, Adjunct Professor of Practice, The George Washington University

Jeremy A. Rabkin, Professor, George Mason School of Law

Ron Silver, Actor, Producer, Director, Primparous Productions, Inc.

Judy Van Rest, Executive Vice President, International Republican Institute

Members ex officio

Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense

Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State

Richard H. Solomon, President, United States Institute of Peace (nonvoting)

Frances C. Wilson, Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps; President, National Defense University