Welcome to this panel on “Intractable Conflicts: The Effectiveness of International Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.” There appears to be a negative connotation associated with the term “intractable conflicts.” By describing a conflict as “intractable,” are we not ascribing a defeatist meaning to it? The program description, the drafting of which neither the panelists nor the moderator were involved in, would seem to confirm this negative connotation, where it suggests that intractable conflicts might “compromise international law.” This panel will take a critical look at the issues surrounding “intractable conflicts” by examining, and perhaps questioning, the very notion of “intractable conflicts” and by highlighting how conflicts that might seem intractable at first blush actually have seen positive developments and even outcomes through the use of existing international law processes. Therefore, this panel is not all about doom and gloom or about how international law has failed in practice.