STEP TWO
Develop a Strategy
Working with other external actors in a peace process may prove no less frustrating, time-consuming, or complex than engaging with the conflict parties themselves. A mediator should therefore be prepared to be patient, develop a strategy early, and be open to the need for revisions to it.
The efficacy of a mediator's engagement with external actors will depend to a considerable extent on factors that are difficult to quantify. They include the caliber of his or her leadership and the respect that he or she wins from international colleagues. Engaging early with those who might be helpful in the latter stages of a peace process and/or implementation may encourage their commitment to the effort. Meanwhile, officials' own familiarity with the conflict in question, experience of other peace processes, and overall disposition to work collaboratively will also have an impact. The extent to which these elements are present in a given mediation may boil down to luck.
During 2003, the work of the International Contact Group on Liberia (ICGL) was facilitated by the individual depth of experience and good working rapport between its two co-chairs, Hans Dahlgren, the EU presidency's special representative to the region, and Nana Addo Dunkwa, the foreign minister of Ghana and the chair at the time of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They worked together to prepare meetings of the ICGL and conducted joint missions in the region, including meeting with Charles Taylor, then president of Liberia, to impress upon him the need for change.
Weigh the Pros and Cons of a Group Structure
The prevalence of group structures in recent years has made them an attractive-at times, even a default-option. But when the mediator has the opportunity to influence the process, he or she should weigh a group's formation carefully.