Breaking the crisis circle: conflict management of international rivalries

An apparent decrease in the incidence of international crises raises a number of questions about what factors motivate actors to engage in fewer battles. Why do some international crises escalate to war whilst others do not? Why are some international crises resolved after the first incident whilst others recur through the years? Are states with a history of involvement in crises more likely to experience further crises? Literature on serial crisis behaviour suggests that actors learn from their experience and do not experience further crises (Gartzke and Simon, 1999). However, there are other determinants that affect crisis recurrence. Conflict management is considered to be one of the main determinants in settling and resolving crises (Bercovitch, 1996, 2006; Beardsley, 2011). Through joint membership, the non-interventionist role of certain International Organizations (IOs) discourages member states from getting involved in further crises. A case study examines non-interventionist (joint membership) and interventionist (mediation) roles of IOs. Formal and informal mediation techniques used by IOs during conflict management processes are able to ease a crisis and offer a long lasting peace. Lastly, this book examines alternatives to third party intervention, by presenting an analysis of the actors and the techniques they employ in severe international crises. Techniques that control and facilitate decisions lower the risk of crisis recurrence. Results indicate that joint membership in IOs and a combination of mediation techniques through IOs reduce crisis recurrence. Even though belligerents may attempt to resolve a crisis through bilateral negotiations, third party involvement, in peaceful settlement attempts, reduces the likelihood of crisis recurrence.