Assessing the role of bias in mediation: An analysis of mediation efforts to the Cyprus conflict

Mediators can be biased towards one disputant during mediation. One potential factor is the existence of an alliance membership, whereby a mediator may favour one disputant due to a shared alliance. This phenomenon, known as alliance bias in mediation, has been the subject of extensive academic study. The consensus in the literature that allies are more likely to get involved in a conflict between other members of the alliance demonstrates the significance of the subject. Consequently, this thesis seeks to address the research question of how does an intervention of a biased ally in an intra-alliance conflict impact the outcome of the mediation? The mediation efforts of the US and the UK to the Cyprus conflict between Turkey and Greece exemplifies such case, since all actors are allied through The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Informed by the theoretical framework of alliances and the bias in mediation, the interventions of the US and the UK to the Cyprus conflict are analyzed. The mediation efforts of the UN as an unbiased actor are also discussed. This thesis therefore elaborates on the impact of a biased mediator from a different angle based on an intra-alliance dispute and within the context of a contemporary conflict that remains unresolved.