Citation

Harris A. Coop. Confl. 2010; 45(4): 387-405.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Nordic Committee for the Study of International Politics, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0010836710387023

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In certain separatist conflicts there is a greater likelihood of external mediation if the political ‘redefinition’ of the state insisted upon by the insurgents undergoes a revision, from secession to self-determination, understood as a variant of autonomy. In the same vein, although it may not happen concurrently, insurgent movements become more amenable to external mediation if and when opposing governments revise the preferred conflict outcome from a military defeat of the insurgents to a ‘containment’ of the movement. These two developments — a revised demand from the insurgents for how the state should be defined and an altered military strategy adopted by the government — can serve as ‘objective referents’ helping external parties to identify a ripe moment in the conflict and initiate mediation.