Conflict Outcomes Research Articles

Escalate or Negotiate? Constraint and Rebel Strategic Choices Towards Rivals in the Syrian Civil War

ABSTRACT Theories of interaction among rebel groups in civil wars, like other works in the armed conflict literature, continue to see force as foundational to the trajectory and outcome of conflict. But evidence from inter-rebel conflicts in the Syrian war, which has been one of the major civil wars of our times, shows that military force is not always the preferred tool even in situations where violence is presumably cheap: in conflicts between dominant rebel groups and weaker rivals. Rather than using force, Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the strongest groups in the Syrian conflict, frequently chose to negotiate with rivals. Existing theories of inter-rebel conflict fail to explain such variation in responses. As an explanation of this puzzle of non-force, I argue that the constraint emanating from the conflict with the main enemy determines rebels’ strategies towards rivals. To investigate this argument, the paper draws on the triangulation of original data on inter-rebel conflicts in Syria, encompassing written agreements between Jabhat al-Nusra and other rebel groups, a database of important military operations in the Syrian civil war since 2011, and interviews with civil and military participants in the insurgency. The findings have important implications not only for our understanding of inter-rebel dynamics in the Syrian conflict but also for other complex civil wars concerning the relationship between inter-rebel negotiation, cooperation, success, and war duration.

We need you, Uncle Sam: Images of the USA Entry into World War I in Polish School History Textbooks During the First Two Decades of the Twenty-first Century

This paper presents an analysis of the content of Polish school textbooks for teaching history in the context of the USA’s entry into World War I in 1917. School textbooks have been chosen as the dominant source of student history knowledge. Fourteen textbooks were analysed: seven for the third stage of education (lower secondary schools) and seven for the fourth stage (upper secondary schools, technical schools). These were used between 2001 and 2017. The USA’s entry into the Great War undoubtedly had a decisive impact on the outcome of the global conflict. The article shows the way in which this subject was presented to students in schools. We analyse the information contained in the textbooks on the circumstances of this historical event and the conclusions and assessments formulated. Special attention is also paid to the didactic solutions applied.

Commitments to forced migrants in African peace agreements, 1990–2018

ABSTRACT This article presents data on peace agreement commitments towards forced migrants on the African continent (excluding MENA) from 1990 to 2018, resulting from the analysis of 177 peace agreements responding to the search queries ‘Africa (excl. MENA)’ and ‘refugees and displaced persons’ on the Peace Agreement Database (PA-X). This article presents preliminary results from four thematic categories: (1) return, reconstruction, rehabilitation, reintegration, and resettlement (5R), (2) provision commitments, (3) rights and law, and (4) land and property. Initial probing and statistical testing of the data revealed several trends. Notably, most 5R commitments were made towards the return of forced migrants. From twelve provision variables, physical protection was the most common provision commitment, followed by relief support. Where commitments to laws and rights related to forced migration remained relatively low, these results suggest that peace agreements in this region seldom take a rights-based approach to displacement. Commitments to land and property compensation and restitution were also marginal, confirming that these issues remain occluded within the realms of conflict termination and the transition towards peace. A brief discussion of these results is followed by an outlook of future research pathways.

Does female ratio balancing influence the efficacy of peacekeeping units? Exploring the impact of female peacekeepers on post-conflict outcomes and behavior

ABSTRACT The UN. has intensified efforts to recruit female peacekeepers for peacekeeping missions. From 2006 to 2014, the number of female military personnel in UN peacekeeping missions nearly tripled. The theory driving female recruitment is that female peacekeepers employ distinctive skills that make units more effective along a variety of dimensions. Yet skeptics argue that deeper studies are needed. This paper explores the theoretical mechanisms through which female military personnel are thought to increase the effectiveness of peacekeeping units. Using new data, we document variation in female participation across missions over time, and we explore the impact of female ratio balancing on various conflict outcomes, including the level of female representation in post-conflict political institutions, the prevalence of sexual violence in armed conflict, and the durability of peace. We find evidence that a greater proportion of female personnel is systematically associated with greater implementation of women’s rights provisions and a greater willingness to report rape, and we find no evidence of negative consequences for the risk of conflict recurrence. We conclude that the inclusion of more female peacekeepers in UN peacekeeping does not reduce the ability to realize mission goals.

Pro-government militias and civil war termination

Why do governments choose to fund pro-government militias (PGMs) if doing so could extend costly civil conflict? While PGMs are active in a majority of civil wars, their impact on conflict termination remains poorly understood. We argue that the choice to fund PGMs is a strategic one for states and part of their efforts to influence wartime dynamics and conflict termination. We hypothesize that PGMs’ impact on conflict termination is conditional on whether they are government funded. Government-funded PGMs help states to ward off costly negotiations and encourage the rebellion's gradual dissolution. Using competing risks analyses on civil wars ending between 1981 and 2007, we find robust evidence that PGM funding affects conflict outcomes.

Perceived Family and Partner Support and the Work-Family Interface: A Meta-analytic Review

This study employed meta-analytic techniques to elucidate the role of perceived partner and family support in four measures of the work-family interface. We extracted 183 effect sizes from 82 samples and a total of N = 36,226 individuals. We found perceived familial (partner and family) support was negatively associated with work-to-family conflict (r = -.099) and family-to-work conflict (r = -.178). It was positively associated with work-to-family enrichment (r = .173) and family-to-work enrichment (r = .378). Various sample-level moderators were investigated through meta regression and subgroup analyses, including whether the support measure was family or partner focused. Perceived family support showed larger magnitude associations with the two conflict outcome variables than partner support, while there were no significant differences between family and partner support and the two enrichment outcomes. The results suggest that familial support is an essential component of successfully minimizing work-family conflict and maximizing work-family enrichment, and that whether the measure of support is partner or family specific may impact the magnitude of results.

Assessing conflict of farmland institutions using credibility theory: Implications for socially acceptable land use

Farmland institutional change has resulted in remarkable growth in agricultural productivity in rural China since the start of the economic reforms in 1978. Yet, numerous studies have signaled the emergence of conflicts because farmland institutions cannot adequately respond to the challenges of social and economic transition. These studies generally examine the level and/or frequency of conflict. Conversely, this research moots that a more comprehensive assessment of conflict is needed to understand the performance of farmland institutions. In this context, this study uses the Conflict Analysis Model (CAM) as predicated upon the credibility thesis to assess an additional set of variables, i.e., the source, actors, timing, intensity, and outcome of farmland-related conflicts. Based on a set of court cases (n = 133), farmland conflicts are classified into two types, pertaining to first, the termination of the contract right; second, the transfer of contract right. This study reports the following critical findings: (1) conflicts caused by the termination of the contract right are closely related to expropriation; (2) 90% of the conflict occurs between farmers (individuals or groups) versus authorities (local government or village committees); (3) they feature high conflict intensity and a late timing; (4) the most important source of farmland conflict pertaining to the transfer of contract right concerns disputes over the status holder of contract right; (5) around 50% of these conflicts occurs between farmers, while another 34% occurs between farmers vs. authorities; (6) this type of conflict features low intensity and early timing. It is concluded that empty institutions emerge since farmers and public administrations are unwilling or unable to implement farmland institutions. Furthermore, abusive behaviors of the actors that exercise public authority reduce the credibility of farmland institutions. This study offers new insights into realizing a more socially acceptable land use strategy in the socioeconomic transition of China in particular and of developing countries in general.

Kr-h1 maintains distinct caste-specific neurotranscriptomes in response to socially regulated hormones

Behavioral plasticity is key to animal survival. Harpegnathos saltator ants can switch between worker and queen-like status (gamergate) depending on the outcome of social conflicts, providing an opportunity to study how distinct behavioral states are achieved in adult brains. Using social and molecular manipulations in live ants and ant neuronal cultures, we show that ecdysone and juvenile hormone drive molecular and functional differences in the brains of workers and gamergates and direct the transcriptional repressor Kr-h1 to different target genes. Depletion of Kr-h1 in the brain caused de-repression of "socially inappropriate" genes: gamergate genes were upregulated in workers, whereas worker genes were upregulated in gamergates. At the phenotypic level, loss of Kr-h1 resulted in the emergence of worker-specific behaviors in gamergates and gamergate-specific traits in workers. We conclude that Kr-h1 is a transcription factor that maintains distinct brain states established in response to socially regulated hormones.

Relational Satisfaction as a Mediator of Parent-Young Adult Conflict and Young Adults’ Emotional Labor

ABSTRACT This study investigated the potential for young adults’ relational (dis)satisfaction with parents to function as a mediator in the association between their demand/withdraw patterns and emotional labor with parents. Based on a survey of 259 young adults, results indicated that young adults’ relational (dis)satisfaction functions as an explanatory mechanism, where demand/withdraw conflict with parents decreases their relational satisfaction, in turn increasing young adults’ emotional labor with parents. This finding may help family scholars better understand outcomes of parent-child conflict for older children, highlighting impacts on their emotional well-being and communication. In order to promote healthy family functioning and strong relationships, understanding fallout from parent-young adult conflict as well as factors that influence how young adults communicate their emotions with parents is pertinent.

Assemblages of conflict termination: popular culture, global politics and the end of wars

The question of how wars end is of continued importance, especially in the context of the ongoing War on Terror. This question has traditionally been approached within International Relations through rational choice theories, logical modelling and game theory. Such approaches have become increasingly ill-suited to capturing the complexity and ambiguity of contemporary warfare and the War on Terror in particular. These battlefield ambiguities are often at odds with political and public desires to see decisive victory in wars. This article builds on recent critical work within War Termination Studies in order to re-conceptualise the end of war as assemblages. By paying greater attention to the affects inculcated by political rhetoric surrounding war and utilising the concepts of affect and emergence, this article presents a novel approach to the study of contemporary war termination. Utilising popular culture, increasingly seen as a crucial site of global politics, the case study analysed here advances the argument that sacrifice emerges from cinema and presidential rhetoric as a trope that allows leaders to claim victory in war despite indecisive conditions of the ground. Through affective cinematic encounters, conceptualised here through the end of wars assemblages, audiences can become more accepting of such political claims.

Helping or hurting? The impact of foreign fighters on militant group behavior

ABSTRACT How do foreign fighters affect militant group behavior? Recent studies have examined the impact of foreign fighters on broader conflict outcomes, but we explore their specific impact on group behavior. Using foreign fighter data, we find that the presence of foreign fighters is positively related to group longevity, use of suicide operations, and the geographic spread of its operations. We elaborate on these findings in a case study of foreign fighters in al-Shabaab. This article provides important contributions to both scholarship and policy, elucidating the ideological and logistical impact of foreign fighters on tactics, target choices, and group lifespan.

Democracy, reputation for resolve, and civil conflict

There is a long-running disagreement about how regime type affects a country’s ability to project resolve. Specifically, there is an open question about whether being a democracy helps or hurts a country’s reputation for resolve. I consider this question by directly estimating a state’s reputation for resolve using a unified theoretical and statistical approach. To be precise, I derive an empirical model from a dynamic game of continuous-time bargaining where each side fights in order to build a reputation for resolve. I then fit this model using data on the duration and termination of civil conflicts between 1946 and 2009. I find that while governments tend to have stronger reputations for resolve than the rebels they face, democracies are seen as much less likely to be resolved both prior to and during conflict than their autocratic counterparts. Likewise, democracies are more likely to end a conflict by making a policy change in favor of the rebels than autocracies. Despite these differences, both democracies and autocracies experience a discrete increase in their reputations for resolve once conflict begins, with democracies receiving a much larger boost. As such, these findings contrast with a large literature on democratic credibility theory, while simultaneously providing evidence consistent with some of the logic behind democratic credibility theory.

Modernization, social identity, and ethnic conflict

The lack of a shared national identity is often blamed for ethnic conflict and low economic development. This raises the question: does a society’s modernization (in particular, industrialization) lead to a shared identity, thereby bringing good outcomes in conflict and development? This paper theoretically examines the question using a contest model of conflict augmented with multiple production sectors and social identification.The analysis shows that as modernization proceeds, a society shifts to an equilibrium with a universal national identity, a low level of conflict, and high output if national pride is high, ethnic differences are not salient in people’s minds, resources are not abundant, or institutions are of good quality. Otherwise, the society shifts to an equilibrium with a universal ethnic identity and worse economic and political outcomes. The analysis suggests that nation-building policies play a critical role in overcoming the negative effects of modernization under the latter situation.

Third-party conflict interventions are kin biased in captive white-lipped peccaries (Mammalia, Tayassuidae)

Third-party interventions may regulate conflicts to reduce aggression and promote cohesion amongst group members, but are rarely documented in ungulates. The white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) lives in mixed-sex herds of hundreds of individuals in Neotropical forests, which are likely to benefit from mechanisms that sustain social cohesiveness. We examined third-party conflict interventions between individuals in captive groups of white-lipped peccaries. During a period of 60 days, we recorded agonistic interactions and occurrences of third-party conflict interventions, and estimated the genetic relatedness between the individuals involved using multilocus microsatellite genotypes. Most third-party conflict interventions were by the dominant male of each group, resulting in conflict termination 100% of the time. Our results also revealed that white-lipped peccaries favour their closest relatives and that individuals showed lower levels of aggression towards kin than to non-kin, and interventions on behalf of kin were more frequent than on behalf of non-kin. Our findings support the idea that genetic relatedness is fundamental in both social structure and third-party conflict interventions in this species, allowing us to suggest that kin selection could have a key role in the evolution of social behaviour of white-lipped peccaries.

Do you hear my accent? How nonnative English speakers experience conflictual conversations in the workplace

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiences of nonnative speakers in conflictual situations with native speakers in the workplace. In three studies, the authors examine whether nonnative speakers experience stereotype threat in workplace conflict situations with native speakers, whether stereotype threat is associated with certain conflict managing behaviors (e.g. yielding and avoiding) and the relationship between stereotype threat, satisfaction with conflict outcomes and processes, and objective conflict outcomes.Design/methodology/approachStudies 1 and 2 use critical incident recall methodology to examine nonnative speakers’ conflict behaviors and satisfaction with conflict outcomes. In Study 3, data were collected from a face-to-face simulation with a random-assignment design.FindingsFindings suggest that nonnative speakers indeed experience heightened stereotype threat when interacting with native speakers in conflict situations and the experience of stereotype threat leads to less satisfaction with conflict outcomes, perceptions of goal attainment, as well as worse objective conflict outcomes.Originality/valueThe current study is one of the first studies to document the effects of accent stereotype threat on conflict behaviors and outcomes. More broadly, it contributes to the conflict studies literature by offering new insight into the effects and implications of stereotype threat on workplace conflict behaviors and outcomes.

The nature of conflict in community pharmacy - A pilot study of pharmacists' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes that disrupted the status quo of society. As a result, the level of conflict in community pharmacy has increased significantly. With existing conflict research more focused on the management of conflict, it is important to direct attention towards understanding the nature of conflict. This understanding will allow for informed resources to be developed to guide practice, decreasing the occurrence of and negative effects of conflict.ObjectiveThis research explored experiences of pharmacists working in community pharmacies, to identify the occurrence and nature of conflicts which may have been motivated by changes resulting directly or indirectly from the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide directions for future research into the nature of conflict.MethodPerson-to-person semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted. Transcripts were analysed using inductive reasoning to identify themes.ResultsThirteen pharmacists agreed to participate in this study and 9 were interviewed. Analysis revealed 7 themes that described the causes, contributors, management, outcome, and essence of experienced conflict. A model that incorporated existing theory and themes derived from this study was developed to facilitate understanding of the nature of conflict in community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionConflict in community pharmacy settings follows a defined model with multiple interrelated themes. Guidance from this model may assist pharmacists in reducing occurrences of dysfunctional conflicts during their practice.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement

Introduction: The unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic portends further uncertainty in patient decisionmaking. This study explores decisional conflict and patientspecific concerns for people undergoing otolaryngologic surgery during the pandemic. Method: This was a prospective, single-institution, crosssectional study of English-speaking adults undergoing otolaryngologic surgery, conducted from April 22 to August 31, 2020. Individuals who were non-English speaking, lacked autonomous medical decision-making capacity, underwent emergent surgery, or had a communitive disability were excluded. The primary outcome of decisional conflict was measured using the validated “SURE” screening questionnaire. Relationships between decisional conflict and patient demographics were assessed via bivariate analyses, multivariable logistic regression, and conjunctive consolidation. The secondary outcome of patient-specific concerns was obtained through open-ended interview and qualitatively assessed using thematic analysis with open coding. Results: There was a 41% response rate (182 of 444 patients). The median age was 60.5 years (range 18-88);92 patients (51%) were women. Decisional conflict was more prevalent in non-White compared with White participants (difference 18%;95% CI, 0.6%-37.0% and adjusted odds ratio 3.0;95% CI, 1.2-7.4). Combining information from multiple variables through conjunctive consolidation, the group with the highest rate of decisional conflict was non- White patients with no college education, receiving urgent surgery. “Intraoperative” and “postoperative concerns” were the most common patient-specific concerns. Among those patients reporting concerns about COVID-19, the majority had decisional conflict. Conclusion: This study highlighted factors associated with decisional conflict and emphasized the need for physicians to engage in shared-decision making with patients. The COVID- 19 pandemic contributed to decisional conflict. Consistent discussion of risks and benefits is essential. The role of race and decisional conflict needs further study.

Theoretical Reproductive Outcomes of the Sexual Conflict in Humans.

This paper presents an updated mathematical model of the evolutionary dynamics of the sexual conflict ("battle of the sexes") and its simulated reproductive outcomes. The authors highlight a whole range of life-history traits unique to our species, such as prolonged childhood, growth in parental care, etc. Based on these biosocial premises, the sexual conflict between men and women shifts into the mathematical realm of the "Prisoner's Dilemma" game. The evolutionarily stable strategy of mutual rejection of parenthood would be dominant with this PD strategy in both parents; oscillation dynamics predicted in previous models would not be expected. Despite fatal theoretical prediction of the PD evolutionary game, the newish genetic data of the EPP rates in the historical populations reveals prevalence of cooperation between both sexes, predominantly utilizing the monogamous form of sexuality. Presumably, this sexual norm could have potentially ensured reproductive success in the societies in the past.

Topical Review: Developmental Framework of Moderators of Family Conflict for Type 1 Diabetes Outcomes

To present a developmental framework of family conflict in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) that aims to guide future research. Developmental and pediatric literature are reviewed to highlight family factors that may modify the degree to which diabetes-related family conflict is related to adolescent health outcomes. Developmental literature suggests that family conflict is not inherently bad; rather, conflict that arises under optimal conditions (moderate frequency, warm and accepting relationships) can be adaptive for adolescents. However, family conflict is consistently associated with poor disease outcomes in youth with T1D, with few researchers examining specific moderators of these associations. In this topical review, we highlight moderators of family conflict and developmental outcomes identified in adolescents without chronic illness (e.g., cultural factors, parent-child relationship quality, conflict characteristics) and how these moderators may operate for a pediatric chronic illness such as T1D. Incorporating conceptualizations of family conflict from mainstream developmental research has important implications for future research and intervention adaptations on family conflict in pediatric populations.

Conflict dynamics and management patterns of student nurses in governement hospitals in Adamawa state, Nigeria / Dinâmica de conflito e padrões de gestão de enfermeiras estudantes em hospitais do governo do estado de Adamawa, Nigéria

The complexities associated with healthcare centres have made conflict a part and parcel of their operational milieus. Student nurses on formal clinical training, being part of the system, are not resistant to the deleterious outcomes of such conflicts. Thus, this is study assessed conflict dynamics and management strategies of student nurses in government hospitals in Adamawa State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted and a sample of 160 student nurses was selected through random sampling technique. A self-structured questionnaire titled “Student Nursing Conflict Questionnaire” (SNCQ) was used to elicit primary data. Data collected were analysed with frequency counts, percentage and standard deviation. The study discovered that the majority of student nurses frequently encountered conflict (50.6%) in hospitals and they often perceived it as something bad (70.6%). Also, the major types of conflict often experienced by student nurses were “nurse-student nurse conflict” (NSC) (36.9%) and “patient relatives-student nurse conflict” (PRSC) (36.9%). The main causes of these conflicts were lateness to the hospital ( = 3.375) and unclear definition of responsibilities between student nurses and other auxiliary health workers ( = 3.338). Furthermore, the main consequences of conflict on student nurses were lowering their productivity ( = 3.550) and discouraging effective training of student nurses ( = 3.569). The conflict management styles often adopted by student nurses were collaborating style ( =3.153) and accommodating style ( =3.025). Based on these findings, it was recommended that medical peace education should be promoted in all ramifications in health establishments in order to help those that wish to become health practitioners such as student nurses as well as those already practicing in the field to understand conflict behavioural dynamics for constructive mitigation to enhance their productivity and healthcare service delivery.