Publication

This report explores the history and performance of multilateral political missions in undertaking preventive diplomacy and reducing tensions in states at risk of conflict. This support can include addressing persistent social, ethnic, and political tensions and, where violence is looming, both mediating a political agreement and supporting its implementation. Missions of this type have engaged in preventive diplomacy from the Baltics to West Africa, but they are often overlooked. This report argues that political missions can play an important role in preventive activities, although there are clear limits to their potential.