Why do some mediation episodes produce successful negotiated settlements between the
disputants of international conflict while others fail to achieve success? This article examines
how certain characteristics of a mediator, that is, a mediator's information about the
disputants and a mediator's bias toward them, affect the success of mediation of
international conflicts. By drawing a conceptual distinction between absolute and relative
bias and measuring the type of information that is relevant for mediation success, I …

Why do some mediation activities produce favorable outcomes while others fail to achieve
success? I investigate this question by focusing on the type and characteristics of mediators
of international conflicts. Are some types of mediators more able to facilitate negotiated
settlements between the disputants than others? Drawing on the bargaining theory of war
and building upon Kydd's (2003) game-theoretical model of mediation, I argue that
mediators that have information about the military capabilities and/or resolve of the …