Language inflicted power dynamics in international mediation. Mediator's discourse influences on international mediation processes
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2024-06-21
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en
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This Bachelor’s thesis deals with how a mediator’s discourse influences an international mediation process. The objective of this research is to critically asses the power dynamics within international mediation, through the case of the EU-led Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, and how these dynamics are instigated by the dominant discourse the mediator creates. This is done by examining whether the mediator creates a specific discourse that exploits these power relations and is based on the mediator's background, and how this discourse affects the mediation process. This has led to the formulation of the following research question: How does a mediator’s discourse influence international mediation processes? In order to provide an answer to this question, a Critical Discourse Analysis has been conducted. In essence, the dominant discourse set out by the EU is that the EU-facilitated Dialogue is the sole viable path for progress in the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia. The EU’s entanglement with the conflicting countries through the intertwining of ‘normalisation of relations’ and the ‘European path’ of Kosovo and Serbia, legitimises but also influences the EU’s role in the mediation process and thus the mediation process itself.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen