Conclusion
This handbook has presented groups of Friends as a mechanism of potential utility to peacemakers as they consider the very considerable challenge presented by the effective engagement of external actors. The handbook has not, however, presented groups of Friends as a panacea. Instead, it has suggested that the formation of a group of Friends is worthy of careful consideration but has also cautioned that a group will require care and attention before its establishment, as well as in its maintenance.
Experience reveals that there will be many circumstances in which, after such consideration, a peacemaker will choose against the formation of a defined group of Friends. This handbook seeks to encourage and facilitate the rigorous analysis of the potential-and risks-presented to a mediation by the various external actors in the region of the conflict and in the wider international community. Some of their intentions with regard to the peace effort may, as we have seen, be friendly, while others may be anything but.
The extent to which a peacemaker may be empowered to orchestrate such actors will vary greatly but is never likely to be as much as he or she might wish. In addition, the situation is likely to be a good deal more complex and murkier than can be presented in a book. This handbook has nevertheless suggested some core elements that should be maintained as a mediator considers whether and how to work with a group of Friends.
Four elements in particular stand out. The first is that external actors cannot be ignored. A strategy for their engagement may or may not involve a group of Friends, but the process of the development of such a strategy will be useful to a mediator whether or not a group structure is deemed appropriate, both as a means of making use of external partners' leverage and resources, and as a means of countering unhelpful external involvement. Second, such a strategy should prioritize a careful analysis of potential Friends' knowledge, relationships, and influence, as well as their readiness to support a mediation led by another. Third, strategic coordination does<