Conflict Resolution And Transformation

This clearly articulated statement offers a hopeful and workable approach to conflict—that eternally beleaguering human situation. John Paul Lederach is internationally recognized for his breakthrough thinking and action related to conflict on all levels—person-to-person, factions within communities, warring nations. He explores why "conflict transformation" is more appropriate than "conflict resolution" or "management." But he refuses to be drawn into impractical idealism. Conflict Transformation is an idea with a deep reach. Its practice, says Lederach, requires "both solutions and social change." It asks not simply "How do we end something not desired?", but "How do we end something destructive and build something desired?" How do we deal with the immediate crisis, as well as the long-term situation? What disciplines make such thinking and practices possible? A title in The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series.

This book seeks to examine the causes of escalation and de-escalation in intrastate conflicts. Specifically, the volume seeks to map the processes and dynamics that lead groups challenging existing power structures to engage in violent struggle; the processes and dynamics that contribute to the de-escalation of violent struggle and the participation of challengers in peaceful political activities; and the processes and dynamics that sustain and nurture this transformation. By integrating the latest ideas with richly presented case studies, this volume fills a gap in our understanding of the forces that lead to moderation and constructive engagement in the context of violent, intrastate conflicts. This volume will be of great interest to students of conflict management, peace studies, conflict resolution, ethnic conflict and security studies in general.

Resolving International Conflict rethinks the dynamics of conflict escalation and continuation by engaging with research from the wide range of subfields in this area. The book suggests a new framework for understanding conflict as a particular form of situation, interaction and tension. It shows how conflicts are shaped by varied dynamics relating to emotion, securitization, incentives, digital technology and violence; even attempts at monitoring, resolving or remembering conflicts may end up contributing to their escalation or continuation. Split into two sections, the first part focuses on the question of why and how conflicts escalate, while the second part analyses the continuation of conflict. The book features several case studies of conflict escalation and continuation - in Bahrain, Israel-Palestine, South Sudan, Northern Ireland and, most prominently, the case of the Syrian uprising and subsequent civil war. Throughout the book, and, in particular, in the conclusion, the consequences for conflict transformation are discussed. This work will be of much interest to students of conflict resolution, peace studies, war and conflict studies, security studies and international relations, in general.

This book provides students, activists, community organizers and the general public with a concise and clear guide on how to approach, analyze and address conflict in order to transform relationships and work towards peace with justice. In doing so, it details a systematic process to analyze conflict, and offers an understandable framework in which to situate and choose strategies of building cultures of peace. It acknowledges the academic divide between the disciplines of peace studies and conflict resolution studies, yet is relevant to students of both fields. The volume draws on relevant theory and research from sociology, psychology, critical studies and anthropology, and starts from the assumption that conflict analysis and transformation must include a critical analysis of hegemony and power.

Since the early 1980s John Paul Lederach has traveled worldwide as a mediation trainer and conflict resolution consultant. Currently the director of the International Conciliation Committee, he has worked with governments, justice departments, youth programs, and other groups in Latin America, the Philippines, Cambodia, as well as Asia and Africa. Lederach blends a special training method in mediation with a tradition derived from his work in development. Throughout the book, he uses anecdote and pertinent experiences to demonstrate his resolution techniques. With an emphasis on the exchange involved in negotiation, Lederach conveys the key to successful conflict resolution: understanding how to guide disputants, transform their conflicts, and launch a process that empowers them.

"Just Conflict" helps readers gain greater confidence about their capacity to name, address, and resolve whatever conflict arises so that, when they discover issues in any relationship, they are able to construct justice out of turmoil.

This book investigates and explains the European Union’s approach to conflict resolution in three countries of the Western Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo. In doing so, it critically interrogates claims that the EU acts as an agent of conflict transformation in its engagement with conflict-affected states. The book argues, contrary to the assumptions of much of the existing literature, that rather than seeking the transformation of conflicts, the EU pursues a more conservative strategy based on the regulation of conflict through the promotion of institutional mechanisms such as consociational power sharing and decentralisation. Drawing on discourse analysis of documents, speeches, and interviews conducted by the author with European Union officials and policy-makers in Brussels and the case-study countries, the book offers a theoretically grounded, methodologically rigorous and empirically detailed analysis of EU policy preferences, of the ideas that underpin them, and of how those preferences are legitimised. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners interested in ethnic conflict and conflict resolution, the politics of the Balkans, and the external and foreign policies of the EU.

This book will outline a theological transformative approach that is effective in resolving congregational conflict and has shown that, in the question of how the contemporary congregation might address conflict, the answers lie not only in the process James taught his audience in his chapter four of hus epistle but in a deeper understanding of the kind of kingdom Jesus embodied and his expectations of how its members would live with a clear sense of their own standing before God and one another. It will develop a dialogue between conflict theory and theology to create a solution that helps transform conflict into positive outcomes. Conflict transformation is a new approach to conflict resolution that attempts to describe what ought to happen in conflict more precisely. It is a step beyond conflict resolution and points toward a deep transformation in the conflicting parties, stopping the issues that trigger violence and allowing peace in relationships. Resolution focuses on the present conflict or issue and finds the solution. Transformation focuses on the people involved in the conflict and their permanent relationships with each other. Conflict transformation occurs only when true wisdom reigns among people in congregation. It agrees with Vayrynen (1991) that actor transformation is critical to transform conflict into something good and beneficial to the organization. However, unlike Vayrynen, it believes that, unless actor transformations occur, any other transformations (e.g., issue, rule, and structure) will be only temporary, and the conflict that had been controlled in the present will reemerge later on in the future unless the falsely wise members are replaced with truly wise ones.