OADI 2240 - Strategic Mediation & Conflict Resolution

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

In both peace and war, international mediation plays a central role in the management and resolution of violent political conflicts. Once a prestigious diplomatic practice dominated by heads of state, senior diplomats, and institutions such as the Vatican, mediation has evolved into a diversified field involving international organizations, NGOs, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, independent experts, academics, and religious actors. Since the Second World War, these third-party interventions have become a permanent feature of international conflict management.

This expansion has taken place in a context marked by the return of war as a structuring element of international politics. High-intensity conflicts renewed great-power rivalry, and large-scale military mobilization have reintroduced the prospect of major war as a central strategic concern. States today face a dual challenge: preparing for war while simultaneously seeking diplomatic and political alternatives to escalation. International mediation occupies a crucial position within this tension between coercion and negotiation.

From the Northern Ireland peace process led by U.S. Senator George Mitchell to the Camp David Accords brokered by President Jimmy Carter, from the Sant’Egidio mediation in Mozambique to contemporary ceasefire and hostage negotiations, mediation has been used not only to end violence but also to manage crises and shape strategic outcomes. For great powers and regional actors alike, mediation functions as an instrument of foreign policy, allowing them to exercise influence, limit risks, and project authority without direct military engagement.

This course provides students with the theoretical and practical foundations needed to analyze international mediation as both a mode of conflict resolution and a strategic tool of international politics. Through readings, simulations, case-study analysis, and exchanges with experienced practitioners, students will examine how mediation operates in high-intensity conflicts, how it interacts with military options, and how different actors use it to manage, contain, or transform contemporary wars.

Learning Outcomes

• Master the theoretical and practical foundations of international peace mediation through readings and case-study analysis.
• Analyze the roles, strategies, and constraints of mediators in contemporary conflicts.
• Develop practical understanding of the full mediation process through in-class simulations.
• Identify and critically assess the dynamics and challenges of contemporary peace processes.
• Become familiar with professional mediation networks and institutional frameworks.
• Understand how AI is transforming the field of conflict negotiation and mediation.

Professional Skills

• Understanding and applying negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution techniques.
• Analyzing contemporary conflict dynamics and conflict mitigation strategies.
• Working in teams to facilitate conflict management in multicultural settings.
• Developing oral communication skills and critical thinking.

None

Feedback will be shared through regular comments on individual and group assignments. Students will also submit online feedback forms which will be used to regularly exchange on simulations, required readings and debates conducted throughout the course. Each session will provide a dedicated time for informal exchanges.

• Mediation Simulations (Individual assignment): Two simulations will be organized in class, one during the second session and one later in the semester. For the second simulation, students will be invited to use an AI tool to prepare their strategy. After the simulation, students will be asked to fill out an individual feedback form and reflect on the use of AI in mediation processes.: 20% of the final grade, 14 hours a semester.
• Read & Discuss (Individual assignment): Students will read and comment on texts previously distributed to the class. Each week, students will be asked to submit short comments and questions via a dedicated online form: 15% of the final grade, 12 hours a semester.
• The Mediators: roles and techniques (Group assignment): Students will select an international mediation case, identify the mediator(s) involved, and conduct an interview. In class, students will present the mediator(s)’ techniques and role(s): 35% of the final grade, 24 hours a semester.
• AI Mediation Guidelines Podcast (Group assignment): Based on the outcomes of the exercise “The Mediators,” the class will compile lessons learned and create a dedicated podcast using AI: 30% of the final grade, 24 hours a semester.

• In Class Presence : 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Other: Individual preparation of meetings with Mediators: 4 hours a semester.
• Other: Group work for Mediation simulations: 14 hours a semester.