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Conflict Engagement: A Contingency Model In Theory And Practice, Jay Rothman

Peace and Conflict Studies

The systematic study and applied practice of conflict resolution is now a few decades old and is evolving into its own field and perhaps towards its own discipline (Avruch, 2013). I believe an essential way forward towards a more robust field and discipline is to build a parsimonious contingency approach. That is, an approach for applying our best theoretical and analytical tools to diagnosing the nature and status of a given conflict and then systematically and adaptively matching up the best methods for constructively engaging the conflict as it evolves. Fisher and Keashly (1991) pioneered contingency theory in international conflict …

Symbolic And Concrete Demands In Resolving The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Rotem Nagar, Jacob Shamir

Peace and Conflict Studies

Researchers have recently leveled criticism at the realist approach to conflict resolution by pointing out the importance of symbolic aspects of this issue. Few studies, however, have hitherto focused on symbolic demands in conflicts. The present study examines the role of symbolic as well as concrete demands in conflict resolution, and is therefore innovative in this regard. A demand is categorized as “concrete” if it is based on an interest that is viable and applicable, in that it involves tangible resources that may change hands or be divided. A “symbolic” demand, on the other hand, pivots on either refraining from …

On Success In Peace Processes: Readiness Theory And The Aceh Peace Process, Amira Schiff

Peace and Conflict Studies

The study presents an analysis of the conflict resolution process in the Aceh conflict between the government of Indonesia (GoI) and the Free Aceh Movement (“Gerekan Aceh Merdeka” or GAM). Starting with unofficial efforts by the Indonesian side from mid-2003, which eventually led the parties to the negotiation table and to the signing of the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August 2005, the peace process put an end to the 30-year conflict over the independence of Aceh. The peaceful resolution of the Aceh conflict will be examined using readiness theory, which posits the factors that lead parties to negotiate …

Facilitating Collaboration Among Health Care Professionals, Robin Cooper

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper explores how principles and practices of mediation and facilitation can be applied to facilitate collaboration among health care professionals. Certain techniques of mediation and facilitation are uniquely suited to address issues of values, roles, communication, and teamwork—four core competency domains of interprofessional collaborative practice—within the organizational context in order to transform workplace conflict into constructive collaboration. This paper discusses how one might draw upon those mediation and facilitation skills and techniques in order to address profession-centrism, professional prejudice, and us vs. them thinking, which hinder interprofessional collaboration. Those trained in the theories and practices associated with conflict analysis …

Can The Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (Oic) Resolve Conflicts?, Ibrahim Sharqieh

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article examines the potential of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to contribute to mediation of conflicts in the Muslim world. Based on interviews with OIC senior officials and government officials from Iraq and the Philippines, as well as research involving other primary and secondary sources, the author analyzes four cases in which the OIC participated in mediation efforts: the Philippines, Thailand, Iraq, and Somalia. The article concludes with an assessment of the advantages and challenges of including the OIC in such mediation efforts, as well as recommendations related to capacity-building and inter-organizational partnerships that might enhance the potential …

An Anatomy Of Conflict Resolution In Africa’S Civil Conflicts, George Klay Kieh Jr.

Peace and Conflict Studies

The crises of the post-colonial state in Africa have led to civil wars in various African states. In several of these war affected countries, the state has disintegrated and occasioned myriad adverse consequences, including deaths, injuries, the mass displacement of people, and the collapse of the systems of governance. Against this background, this article examines the methods that have been used to terminate civil wars in Africa, and to set into motion the processes of peacebuilding. The article argues that in order to build durable peace in Africa’s post-conflict societies, the post-colonial state needs to be democratically reconstituted.

Letters Of Intent, Costly Signals, And Local Peacemaking In The Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict, Spencer B. Meredith Iii

Peace and Conflict Studies

A state of near-war lasted for almost two decades between Georgia and the separatist region of Abkhazia. Localized violence plagued neighboring communities while United Nations agencies, humanitarian groups, and religious organizations worked with both sides to resolve the conflict’s underlying causes. Unfortunately, those diverse and long-standing efforts proved fruitless when the parties went to war in August 2008. This article examines the reasons for the conflict’s enduring nature and presents an example of grassroots peacemaking completed by university students focused on the plight of Georgia’s domestic refugees. An in-depth case study reveals the impact of their unilateral peacemaking efforts to …

Volume 17, Number 2 (Fall 2010), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

The Perception Of Economic Assistance In The Northern Ireland Peace Process: The Impact Of Ifi And Eu Peace I On Equity And Awareness, Sean Byrne, Cynthia Irvin, Eyob Fissuh, Peter Karari

Peace and Conflict Studies

Most international donors believe that promoting economic development deescalates ethnic conflict, thus enhancing the prospects for peace as ethnic communities negotiate settlements and bridge their political divisions. However, little empirical research has addressed the potential effects of external economic assistance in the rebuilding of those societies. This study explores the perceptions of a representative sample of Northern Irish citizens on their awareness of the activities of International Fund for Ireland and the European Peace I fund toward economic development, the perceived equity of its distribution, and its contribution to building peace in Northern Ireland.

Volume 17, Number 1 (Spring 2010), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Volume 16, Number 2 (Winter 2009), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

China’S Evolving “Double-Track” Socio-Legal System In Conflict Resolution, Jieli Li

Peace and Conflict Studies

Contemporary China's sociolegal control system is built upon a unique organizational arrangement which differs not only from other countries in the world but also from its own past. The very core of this organizational arrangement is what I define as a “double-track” socio-legality with laws and codified regulation mainly concentrated on economic and commercial sectors with the ruling party focusing its administrative control on political and ideological sectors. This institutional context is critical to understanding the nature of social control mechanism in China. The fact is that with all the laws and regulations promulgated in recent years, the newly developed …

The Promise Of Spirituality In Mediation: The Significance Of Spiritual-Based And Faith-Based Approaches In Mediation, Debra Jones, Alexia Georgakopoulos

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article advocates greater exploration and incorporation of spirituality or religion in the mediation process. As religious or spiritual values constitute an element of one’s culture, which inevitably forms a lens through which one interprets the world, the authors suggest a greater acceptance of exploring and acknowledging the power of addressing one’s own religious or spiritual makeup. The authors present an agenda for mediation research and practice for the twenty-first century and consider several examples to encourage model development. In particular, the following discussion presents potentially valuable elements for an alternative approach to mediation which incorporates either religion or spirituality.

Volume 14, Number 2 (Fall 2007), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

Abstracts only.

The Role Of Economic Assistance In Conflict Resolution In Northern Ireland, Sean Byrne, Cynthia Irvin, Eyob Fissuh, Chris Cunningham

Peace and Conflict Studies

External economic assistance from the International Fund for Ireland and the European Union Special Support Program for Peace and Reconciliation assisted in setting the context of the Northern Ireland peace agenda, and holds out the promise of a new civic culture. This article explores people’s perceptions of economic assistance of conflict amelioration in Northern Ireland. Some of the findings, in respect of inter-community differences in perceptions of the utility of external economic assistance in building the peace dividend, are discussed in the paper.

Volume 13, Number 2 (Fall 2006), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Volume 12, Number 2 (Fall 2005), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Boardroom And Bedroom: Consulting With Organizations And Family Systems, James Hibel, Neil Katz

Peace and Conflict Studies

Neil Katz is a loyal St. Louis Cardinals fan and a career organizational consultant. Jim Hibel is a loyal Florida Marlins fan and a career family therapist. Nova Southeastern University brought their professional disciplines under the same roof at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences and the Cardinals and Marlins now share the same Spring Training Facility. Over the past several years, Neil and Jim have met regularly for Cardinal and Marlins spring training games, shared their mutual love of the game, and found ways to appreciate their different teams. In between innings, and rain delays they often talked …

Bridge Across The Race-Class Chasm, Beth Roy

Peace and Conflict Studies

A Review of “Red, White, Black & Blue: A Dual Memoir of Race and Class in Appalachia” by William M. Drennen Jr. & Kojo (William T.) Jones Jr. (Ohio University Press, Athens, 2004)

Volume 11, Number 1 (Spring 2004), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Public Affairs Television And Third Party Roles: The Nightline Debates In South Africa (1985) And Israel (1988), Johannes Botes

Peace and Conflict Studies

This paper examines the strategies, tactics and tasks of a media moderator during television debates regarding deep-rooted conflicts, as well as the overall intended and unintended roles and effects of these broadcasts. Two case studies—the Nightline (ABC-TV) broadcasts from South Africa (1985) and Israel (1988)—are examined by comparing the actions of a public affairs television moderator to conventional third party intervenors, as defined in conflict resolution literature. In the process the paper presents research regarding the manifest tactics and latent roles demonstrated by a television moderator and the manner in which these activities can be compared to the tasks of …

Editor’S Reflections: Peacemaking Among Helping Parties, Honggang Yang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

I would like to take this opportunity to initiate a dialogue over some issues of conflict management among ourselves as third parties or helping professionals. The challenges of managing interpersonal conflicts or performing internal peacemaking are as real and relevant as the challenges of our professional undertaking in handling “outside” disputes. While recognizing there are no ready formulae to address these challenges, I invite you to join in the open-minded dialogues to examine expectations and premises often assumed among helping professionals in the fields.

Volume 10, Number 1 (Spring 2003), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Beyond Resolution: What Does Conflict Transformation Actually Transform?, Christopher Mitchell

Peace and Conflict Studies

The paper considers the concept of ‘conflict transformation’ in relation to earlier ideas concerning the ‘resolution’ of conflict and seeks to differentiate between the two approaches. Writers and writings from the conflict transformation ‘school’ are surveyed and an effort is made to delineate the core characteristics of the approach, viewed either as a process or an end state. Questions are raised about transformation on a personal, group or conflict system level, all of which seem to be encompassed by various adherents of the transformation school, and the unifying concept that emerges is that of the relationship between adversaries being transformed …

Volume 8, Number 1 (May 2001), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

Action Evaluation In The Theory And Practice Of Conflict Resolution, Marc Howard Ross

Peace and Conflict Studies

Questions of evaluation are important to conveners, participants and funders of conflict resolution initiatives. Yet good evaluation is tied to a number of complicated questions concerning what constitutes success and failure in projects that may be multi-dimensional or only part of an effort to settle a larger conflict. Rothman has offered Action Evaluation as a methodology that seeks to incorporate goal setting and evaluation into project designs. He argues that this will improve a project by monitoring the changing nature of goals through the life of a conflict resolution intervention, and action evaluation’s self-conscious attention to goal setting offers a …

Creative Marginality: Exploring The Links Between Conflict Resolution And Social Work, Jay Rothman, Randi Land Rothman, Mary Hope Schwoebel

Peace and Conflict Studies

The concept of creative marginality refers to the process through which researchers in academic fields move away from the mainstream and toward the margins of their fields and look toward the margins of other fields that may overlap with and fill in gaps in their fields. This interaction, occurring outside of disciplinary boundaries, promotes intellectual cross-fertilization, and it is often the site of innovation. This article examines the links and interactions between the academic disciplines and practices of social work and conflict resolution. The article describes the different theoretical frames and practical approaches of both social work and conflict resolution, …

In The Eye Of The Storm: Humanitarian Ngos, Complex Emergencies, And Conflict Resolution, Janice Gross Stein

Peace and Conflict Studies

The challenges faced by non-governmental organizations seeking to mitigate violence within the context of “complex humanitarian emergencies” create new dilemmas and require new strategies. These emergencies arise from violence inflicted by one group against another within the confines of a state, from the capture of state institutions by one group, or by the collapse of these institutions and the failure of governance. They develop within a context of disengagement by the major powers and the privatization of emergency assistance.

I first analyze the dimensions of complex humanitarian emergencies, define the dilemmas humanitarian NGOs face and their implications for conflict resolution, …

On Advancing Truth And Morality In Conflict Resolution, Louis Kriesberg

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The editors of this special issue have articulated many dilemmas facing workers in the fields of conflict analysis and resolution. One way they characterize the difficulties, described by Arthur Koestler , is balancing between spiritually-directed, but socially ineffective activism like that of a Yogi or acting like a Commissar disregarding the means used in order to achieve desirable socioeconomic transformations. This matter is often argued . Some people assert that a wellmeaning person's actions often result in undesired effects, while the person ready to act brutally provides widespread benefits. On the other hand, others argue that acting harshly in …

Conclusion, Frank O. Blechman

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

We, the editors of this Issue, began by saying that both the concept of conflict resolution and social justice are used in multiple ways. We noted that some forms or definitions of each seemed to exclude the other.