Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Western-Islamic “Clash Of Civilizations”: The Inadvertent Contribution Of The Bush Presidency, Dennis J. D. Sandole

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article argues that policies of the Bush administration since 11 September 2001, have had -- perhaps inadvertently -- the effect of generating "facts on the ground" that have led to the self-fulfilling realization of realities corresponding to Samuel Huntington's contentious concept of the "clash of civilizations" in relations between the Western and Islamic “worlds”.

One of the significant indicators of this phenomenon has been the counterproductive, self-defeating impact of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq on the "war on terror," with all available information, even from the CIA and other U.S. governmental sources, agreeing that the presence of …

The Challenge Of Terror: A Traveling Essay, John Paul Lederach

Peace and Conflict Studies

So here I am, a week late arriving home, stuck between Colombia, Guatemala and Harrisonburg when our world changed. The images flash even in my sleep. The heart of America ripped. Though natural, the cry for revenge and the call for the unleashing of the first war of this century, prolonged or not, seems more connected to social and psychological processes of finding a way to release deep emotional anguish, a sense of powerlessness, and our collective loss than it does as a plan of action seeking to redress the injustice, promote change and prevent it from ever happening again. …

An Introductory Essay: Are We In “The Age Of Resistance” In A Post-9/11 World?, J. P. Linstroth

Peace and Conflict Studies

This introductory article to the Special Issue of Peace and Conflict Studies asks, “are we in the ‘Age of Resistance’ in a post-9/11 world?” It is argued the concept of “resistance” may be framed in a broad theoretical context to include multiple and contested meanings by social and political actors as well as by scholars and through intellectual debate. The article questions recent ideas prevalent in fauxpolitical science studies which promote a clash of civilizations, essentialize histories, support anachronistic Orientalist-approaches, and bolster foreign policy initiatives by removing the human element. The contention is for researchers and theorists to concentrate on …

From Conflict Protraction To Peace Actualization In Palestinian-Israeli Relations, Saliba Sarsar

Peace and Conflict Studies

This article makes the case for harmonizing top-down peacemaking and bottom-up peace building in order to create and sustain a culture of peace. The analysis, focused on Palestinian-Israeli relations, finds the answer in the convergence of middle-line peacemakers and peace builders in “a center of peace actualization.” Such a safe space would allow for a shared concept of history, moderate action, and collaborative work on behalf of coexistence and social justice. Implied is the need for peacemakers and peace builders to become involved in each other’s domain and for all concerned to support middle-line peacemakers and peace builders as they …

Côte D’Ivoire Needs A New Conflict Resolution And Peace-Building Strategy, Essoh J. M. C. Essis

Peace and Conflict Studies

The military and political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire is an illustration of the assertion that resistance is a concept embodying a multitude of meanings. The Ivorian parties have framed their civil war as the result of a conflict between several meanings of resistance. The presidential party claims to lead a nationalist resistance against neocolonial forces associated with the French government, as well as a Christian resistance against Islamic terrorism. The armed rebellion and the traditional political opposition contend that their actions are justified by a duty of resistance against ethnic and religious sectarianism, as well as Mr. Gbagbo’s despotic and …

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

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

From Terrorism To Nonviolence And The Islamic Peace Paradigm: Jihad, Just War, Peace And Islamic Nonviolence, Sezai Ozcelik

Peace and Conflict Studies

Islamic contributions in the areas of peace, war, and nonviolence require to be revisited in post-September 11 world. With reinterpretation and redefinition of Islamic concepts of jihad (sacred struggle), sabr (patience), adl (justice), umma (community), sulha (reconciliation), hijra (exodus), diversity, and tolerance, this study attempts to contribute the Islamic understanding of war, peace, and nonviolence. Also, the story of Cain and Abel in the Qur’an shows an example for the nonviolent action together with other contemporary Islamic nonviolence actions such as Intıfıada, Kosovo, and Abdul Ghaffir Khan in Afghanistan. This study will examine the just war, qital (fighting), jihad (sacred …

Editor’S Reflections: Developing New Programs In Peace And Conflict Studies, Honggang Yang

Peace and Conflict Studies

Excerpt

The field of peace and conflict studies has grown remarkably around the globe over the past few decades. In this new millennium, there will be a greater number of educational offerings being considered or launched in various higher education institutions, for the community and the world are in need of such interdisciplinary inquiries and multi-professional applications. As a long-time academic facilitator and administrator, I would like to take this opportunity to share with the PCS readers some of my experiences and observations in this arena, from an administrative and financial perspective. My hope is to assist colleagues and students …

Intragroup Subgroup Attitude Clustering, External Intervention, And Intergroup Interaction Patterns: Toward A Dynamical Model Of Protracted Intergroup Conflict, Peter T. Coleman, Adam Schneider, Douglass S. Adams, Catherine James Everett, Timothy A. Gameros, Lee R. Hammons, Cecil C. Orji, Ralph M. Waugh, Richard F. Wicker Iii

Peace and Conflict Studies

Scholars and practitioners working with protracted conflicts in polarized communities have long recognized the complex dynamics between intragroup disputes and intergroup relations in these settings. In fact, the multitude of factors interacting within and between groups in these conflicts, and their tendency to change over time, largely contributes to their intractable natures. Unfortunately, the ability of scholars to conduct research on such dynamic phenomena has been largely constrained by the atomistic, linear approach of traditional research models and methods. However, recent advances in dynamical systems theory have provided a new set of tools for developing computer simulations that allow us …

Deconstructing The “War Of All Against All”: The Prevalence And Implications Of War Metaphors And Other Adversarial News Schema In Time, Newsweek, And Maclean’S, Michael Karlberg, Leslie Buell

Peace and Conflict Studies

This study examines and critiques the discursive construction of a Hobbesian “war of all against all” in North American commercial news magazines. The prevalence of war metaphors and related adversarial news schemas is documented over a twenty year period, from 1981 to 2000, through an analysis of TIME and Newsweek, along with their Canadian counterpart Maclean’s. After documenting the pervasiveness of these discursive constructs, the paper discusses the underlying causes and potential consequences of these patterns in commercial news discourse. The paper concludes by asserting that this discursively constructed “war of all against all” is highly problematic and unsustainable in …

Selling Mediation: Mimetic, Distancing, And Appellating Practices In The Marketing Of An Emerging Profession, Andrew Woolford, R. S. Ratner

Peace and Conflict Studies

Individuals both within and outside the legal profession have been drawn by the ‘promise’ of mediation. In it they see a means for facilitating communicative exchanges between actors in conflict, which they view as a dramatic improvement on the adversarial practices of the formal legal system. However, despite the appeal of mediation to potential practitioners, there is not yet sufficient consumer demand to sustain the number of people who possess mediation skills. This has resulted in an overcrowded mediation market in which practitioners are forced to market themselves so as to compete for a limited clientele. In this context, the …

The Cyprus Problem And Greek Cypriot Preferences For A Solution After Their “No” To The Annan Plan, Craig Webster

Peace and Conflict Studies

The Greek Cypriots made a clear choice to reject the Annan Plan for their country in a referendum in April 2004. The Annan Plan offered a dichotomous choice to the electorate to accept or reject a federal solution to reunite Cyprus. In this paper, the author investigates the Greek Cypriot population’s preferences for a solution to the Cyprus Problem by performing multivariate analyses of data obtained from one thousand Greek Cypriots following the April 2004 referendum. The analyses find that preferences for solutions are a function of age and attitudes towards the ability of the two communities to interact successfully. …

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 …

Volume 12, Number 1 (Spring 2005), Peace And Conflict Studies

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.