The Impact of Cultural Differences on Interstate Crisis Mediation Attempts

How do cultural differences between states impact the effectiveness of international crisis mediation attempts? This question has important practical implications for how international crises are handled, including how crisis mediation should be approached. I argue that cultural differences between states can negatively impact crisis mediation attempts, specifically focusing on how goal formation influences this process and can lead to misperceptions. I hypothesize that increased cultural differences between states decrease the likelihood of a successful crisis mediation attempt. I deploy a quantitative analysis which utilizes a measure of culture that differs from those used in the existing literature, measuring culture through the level of importance states assign to central aspects of society. The results of my analysis provide support for my hypothesis.