Power asymmetry and goals of unofficial third party intervention in protracted intergroup conflict.

Abstract

Some methods of unofficial intervention in protracted intercommunal conflict have not considered the possible impact of power asymmetry on the dynamics of conflict and on strategies for third-party intervention. Members of conflicting parties in facilitated unofficial meetings may hold divergent views on the primary intervention goals and the appropriate level of conflict analysis within the meetings. These differences may stem directly from the asymmetrical power relations between their communities. As a result, third parties face the dilemma of satisfying seemingly irreconcilable goals for the intervention. In this article, we analyze the dilemma by examining the participants' goals in a series of interventions in an asymmetric conflict and conclude that, by not adequately attending to the power relations between the groups in conflict, third parties may unwittingly side with the goals of the high-power group. This article highlights the need to focus on power asymmetry in the design and conduct of such...