Mediation, the facilitated discussion of disputes and conflicts, is a flexible approach that can be used at all levels of intervention to move us toward a global peace that is both inclusive and fair. This volume, edited by Jan Marie Fritz, brings together mediators, scholar-practitioners, and a veteran diplomat to discuss the life and times of mediation in very different settings.

The 14 chapters include three essays about culture, creativity, and models/theories/approaches. And there are ten chapters about practice: community mediation, mediation by police, special education mediation; interventions on behalf of widows in Nigeria; capacity-building work in Burundi; mediation in Israel; the creative facilitation of meetings; community conferencing; UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women and Peace and Security) and the role of civil society organizations in peacebuilding.

This volume discusses the expanding roles - from prevention through societal transformation - assumed by mediators and the urgent need for mediators working at different intervention levels to learn from each other. This volume is a must read for scholars, researchers, policymakers, civil society representatives and practitioners with interests in effective dispute and conflict intervention. It particularly is recommended for those managing dispute and conflict intervention processes.