This paper sets out to analyze the role that argumentation may play in dispute
resolution, in particular within the practice of dispute mediation. The focus is on
the complex interplay of different argumentative discussions which are necessary
for the parties to personally handle and possibly solve their conflict. This
contribution focuses in particular on the mediator's role in a well-conducted
mediation, considering how he introduces the disputants into the practice of
argumentation by setting up a space for an argumentative discussion. In this
relation, the mediator's strategic maneuvering with the topical potential emerges
as particularly significant in mediation. The analysis presented here is based on
an empirical corpus of successful mediation cases including different applications
of mediation to interpersonal conflicts.