The result of a long collaboration between a Kenyan-Somali mediator and a Swiss scholar-practitioner, Mediation and Governance in Fragile Contexts introduces an innovative, practical approach to resolving an enduring How can conflicts be resolved in polarized societies? This approach breaks out of the insider outsider dichotomy to develop a framework for achieving peace in the most challenging of contexts-a framework that unites outsider perspectives on mediation methodology with the rich experiences and reflections that only local peace practitioners can provide. The authors lay out the framework step by step, present case studies that show it in action, and clarify how local peace and security structures can act as a bridge between short-term mediation and long-term state-building efforts around the world.