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Puzzles, Problems And Provention: Burton And Beyond, Terry Beitzel

International Journal of Peace Studies

The following provides a brief overview of one of the founders of conflict studies, John Burton, and his Basic Human Needs theory. Since Burton is seldomly cited in contemporary scholarship1 the following relies heavily on the reflections of David Dunn, published in 2004 and on a collection of writings written by Burton’s colleagues in 1990. While a set of questions remain incredibly important — are needs universal, how do they differ from interests and desires, do they exist in a hierarchy of importance, and, what is the relation between needs and culture? — the following concentrates primarily on two features …