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Every unresolved conflict carries an economic cost. Immediate effects include disrupted trade, rising legal expenses, reduced investor confidence and fragile supply chains. Long-term effects include weakened institutions and an erosion of social and human capital. In economics, these are transaction costs; in medicine, they resemble chronic systemic inflammation.

As a medical doctor and an accredited mediator recognised by the Malaysian International Mediation Centre, I have come to a simple but often overlooked principle: societies, like the human body, cannot function when communication breaks down.

Medicine treats pathology. Mediation treats relational dysfunction.

In today’s climate of geopolitical tension, economic decoupling and strategic mistrust, this distinction is increasingly critical. It is in this context that the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), headquartered in Hong Kong, becomes significant (“Hong Kong-based mediation body resolves international maritime dispute”, May 8). It represents not only a dispute-resolution mechanism, but a shift from adversarial outcomes to negotiated stability.

Traditional legal systems ensure fairness and finality. However, legal finality does not restore relationships. A dispute may be resolved de jure, while tension persists de facto.