The Iran Nuclear Crisis, the Lessons of Westphalia and the Value of Biased Mediation

What is it about?

According to the conventional wisdom, neutral mediators are more likely to resolve disputes than biased mediators. However, the Peace of Westphalia shows that non-neutral or biased mediators can be effective. Biased mediators made a significant, but not the only, contribution _x000D_ to the Peace of Westphalia. Contrary to the received wisdom, biased mediators can be _x000D_ effective in forging peace because they have a vested interest in the success or failure of a settlement, whereas neutral mediators do not have the same stakes at play. I examine the role biased mediators may play in the ongoing nuclear crisis between the U.S. and Iran. _x000D_

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