The practice of international mediation (as distinct from facilitation, training and other processes) is sometimes asserted to be the province of presidents and foreign ministers, and not of dispute resolution professionals as that term is commonly understood. While the objection is probably true of the highest-profile disputes, that nevertheless leaves a lot of room for work that is rather high-powered by any other standard—work which may not be sufficiently understood partly because the best-known disputes’ mediators operate in such a glare of public attention.

Those listed here cover a broad range of experience and interest. Two (McDonald and Myers) have extensive diplomatic backgrounds; one (Swanson) represents a federal agency which has broadened its traditional franchise; one (Reitman) is a good example of the private mediators who, starting from eclectic case backgrounds, are becoming more involved in international matters; and two (Carter and Rivkin) are prominent international commercial arbitrators, who represent an important stream of ADR which occurs in an environment almost completely separate from all of the others.