This article, by Cedric de Coning and Stephen Gray, appears in ACCORD‘s quarterly magazine Conflict Trends and introduces concepts and practices of adaptive mediation. Adaptive mediation is a set of principles and practices that are more suited to the challenges of mediation processes in complex environments. Adaptive mediation in the context of resolving interstate or intrastate armed conflicts recognises that uncertainty is an intrinsic quality of complex social systems, not a result of imperfect knowledge, inadequate planning or poor implementation. Adaptive mediation employs tools that anticipate complexity and help mediators of peace processes cope with uncertainty, setbacks and shocks. Read Full Article.