Abstract

For a long time, but especially recently, men have been trying to develop better methods for international conciliation. Most of these attempts have been directed to the development of international structures and legal mechanisms. Such formal procedures, however, overlook the potential of ad hoc diplomatic contacts as a significant way to international understanding. And, in actual diplomatic practice, there has been an increasing tendency to utilize informal means for influencing decisions or resolving conflicts. In fact, formal third-party conciliation is now largely reserved for a very few international differences. Direct diplomatic consultations suffice in most other cases to prevent or resolve problems.