Conflicts Prevention Research Articles

Exploring Pathways Towards Conflicts Prevention and Resolution Mechanisms and Reconciliation Strategies in West Africa

This article explores pathways towards conflicts prevention and resolution mechanisms and reconciliation strategies in West Africa with Mali as a case study. Relying on traditional and modern mechanisms and strategies, it explores the rich values and traditions of conflict resolution and peace-building processes used by the Malian government and communities to settle the prevailing conflicts and build a sustainable peace. Indeed, The traditional Malian society was woven together by diverse forms of mutual assistance and solidarity across established families, lineages and clans. That form of social and cultural organization permitted them to prevent and resolve conflicts. To make peace, the Malians need to rely on those ancient values that represented solid foundations to building a strong and peaceful society. This paper further brings to light the modern mechanisms and reconciliation strategies of peacemaking and peacebuilding using the conflict theories of Karl Max and Ludwig Gumplowicz, postcolonialism, and African feminism with the role of women in that process.

Pobreza y desigualdad en la agenda del Consejo de Seguridad: un análisis de sus resoluciones

The exam of those Security Council resolutions mentioning the words poverty and inequality allows to observe a growing interest for these realities mainly from the standpoint of conflicts prevention and regarding peacebuilding. However, the way it uses its competencies to deal with them is not adequate to fight against poverty. On the contrary, the model of governance that it fosters to that end can deepen inequalities in countries emerging from armed conflicts.

Effect of Demographic Characteristics on Conflicts Management in Jigawa State, Nigeria

The study analysed the effect of demographic characteristics on conflict management in Jigawa State. Multi-stage sampling procedure consisting of purposive, snow ball sampling method, cluster sampling and random sampling were used in selecting 75 crop farmers, 75 sedentary pastoralists and 79 migratory pastoralists who were interviewed using Structured Questionnaire. The analytical tools used include descriptive statistics, logistics regression. The study revealed that farmers believed court verdict (53.3%) and intervention by low enforcement agents (40.0%) were the strategies of conflict resolution. The sedentary pastoralists generally believed that intervention by traditional leaders (52.0%) and local community crop farmers/herders intervention (42.7%) were the strategies of conflict resolution, while the migratory pastoralists opined that intervention by traditional leaders (50.6%) and payment of compensation to victims (49.4%) are the strategies of conflict resolution. The result further revealed that 57.3% of farmers, 65.3% of the sedentary pastoralists and 50.6% of the migratory pastoralists agreed that extension agents play vital roles in conflicts prevention and management. Results of logistic regression for the farmers showed that marital status (0.007), household size (0.100) and nature of the farms (0.010) were statistically significant, while for the sedentary pastoralists’ age (0.010), herd size (0.093) and awareness about grazing reserves (0.097) were significant, and for the migratory pastoralists herd size (0.074), herding experience (0.063) and membership of association (0.100) were statistically significant. However, the demographic characteristics associated with conflict should be properly managed by the appropriate institutions involving in conflict resolutions, similarly government should train and empowers extension agents in discharging their duties, and this will help in effective conflict prevention and management.
 Keywords: Conflict, demographic characteristics, farmers, sedentary and migratory pastoralists

Bauxite Mining Conflicts in Guinea: Causes Identification, Analysis, and Countermeasures

Mining conflicts are among the most widespread issues linked to natural resources development and management in mineral-rich countries. Guinea mining industries development presents a huge challenge in promoting integrated, prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable mining. The scramble of companies to exploit bauxite in the Boke region is correlated with a wave of protests and violent conflicts. This article explores the reasons for the resurgence of conflicts in the Guinea Republic, proposes some strategies for better mining conflicts prevention, management in Boke region. Thus, through a survey carried out in 7 Municipalities of the region and other mining localities of the country, we use a quantitative approach through descriptive statistic elements to identify the causes of the outburst of the conflict in Boke which seriously hinders the climate of socioeconomic activities for local development. The outcomes of this study reveal that youth employment, water and electricity supply, the weakness in the management of compensation mechanism are the main reasons for conflict escalation in Boke. Although, solutions proposed by the state and some NGOs appear to be hopeful. However, better management of public services and good governance based on more innovative public-private partnerships, and changes in government policy to better benefit the local communities could solve these problems holistically. The implementation of a better strategy (approach) in the management of relations with the surrounding communities by considering the depths and the sociohistorical, cultural, economic characteristics of the region would guarantee an environment of peaceful cohabitation between the local communities and the companies.

Опыт формирования культуры межнациональных отношений у студентов и школьников

The author of the article pays special attention to the fact that in modern world with its mass migration of the peoples as well as the formation of the international information sphere, the threat of the interethnic conflicts in the frame of rejecting another culture has become aggravated. The author outlines that motive for appearance of the negative phenomena in society is underlined in shortcomings of education of interethnic culture in family, in primary and secondary education in school. The problem of ethnic conflicts prevention by the formation of the sphere of positive international relationship on the base of tolerance, understanding each other, reception of the values of the human approach to the ethnic problems in school and university surroundings introducing the students of different nations to the music culture of the Khakass people, upbringing interest in it, love and affection to little motherland is reviewed in the article. It is suggested to solve the problem by the means of the musical art in process of preparing future teacher – musician for the work in multicultural sphere. The purpose of the article is to consider the formation of international cultural relations among students and schoolchildren. Methods. The practical implementation of the educational potential of the Khakass music at the music lessons in general school is demonstrated. The description of the preparation to the music lesson on the base of material of the Khakass Region, which was presented by the student-teacher is pointed out. The video clip about Khakass nature accompanied by the sounds of the original national Khakass Instruments was shown. After listening the piece “Solar sign” from the cycle of children pieces “Sunny chathan” by composer T. Shalginova, the discussion about original music language of the piece took place, and then the lyrics of the song “Land of mother” by the first local professional composer G. Chelborakov were learnt by heart. Results. At the end of the cycle of the lessons dedicated to Khakassia, the student held the survey in school classes. The results of the survey confirmed the validity of the general methodological approach to the formation of interethnic cultural relations in the student and school environment

Climate Resilient Indigenous Community Self-Help Practices in Oromo Gadaa System: The Cases of Sikkoo-Mandoo Oromo in Oromia, Ethiopia

Climate resilient livelihood is used to mitigate the adverse climatic effects. The farmers’ livelihood vulnerable to extreme climatic events were recorded in study area. Hence, this study was aimed to investigate climate resilient indigenous livelihood practices in Oromo Gadaa system. Data were collected by 69 respondents’ interview and literature review and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Indigenous early warning, conflict settlement, and community self-help were the climate resilient livelihood practiced in study area. Majority of farmers have been used indigenous early warning information forecasted by Raagaa Wogii. Tree ring, sediments layer, and wind direction have been used to know and predicts extreme climatic event in indigenous early warning system. In alleviating climatic effects of conflict, Gadaa system have allocated the responsibilities of every individual in indigenous conflict prevention and resolution. The Sadii walii dhoksuu, Sadii walii obsuu, Sadii walgorsuu and Araaramuu have been the conflicts prevention mechanisms settled by conflicting parties. The Ilmo-limmoo, Qora , and Gumaa have been conflict resolution techniques mainly settled by hayyuus , Ambaa Gadaa and Abbaa gadaas through hearing the causes in detail. Seera siiqqee has been used to settle the conflicts between man and woman whereas Guula has been the resolution mechanisms of political conflict. The community self-help practices: Ameesa dabarsu , Dabaree kenuu , Gegawo-gegesaa , Soruu , Hirphuu , Gumaata , Liqii , Qabdoo qabuuf , Qote-qotii , Sanyii kennuu , Woliif Tiksuu , Dhoofsisuu , Daboo , and Edir and/or Ekub have been indigenous climate resilient livelihood used in Gadaa system. Majorities of community self-helps have been the responsibilities of members in their clan, friends and families. So, the indigenous early warning system, conflict settlement and community self-help practices should legalized and used at a regional level. The evidences, reliability and effectiveness of the indigenous early warning system need further study. Keywords: Climate resilient, Conflict settlement, Early warning, Spiritual leader DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/55-04 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Prevention and resolution of constitutional conflicts: concept and methods

The subject. The article is devoted to different methods of constitutional conflicts resolution, classification of constitutional conflicts, genesis of constitutional conflict diagnostics theory as a system of different measures for constitutional conflicts prevention.The purpose of the article is to confirm or disprove hypothesis that methods of constitutional conflicts resolution and prevention may be classified by different bases.The methodology of the study includes general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, description) as well as sociological and economic approaches. The main results and scope of their application. The author describes different groups of conflict resolution methods, it’s types and system. The optimal way to resolve the constitutional conflict is systematic application of the following principles: 1) the legality of measures; 2) priority of human and civil rights and freedoms; 3) ultimo ratio (last resort); 4) proportionality of measures; 5) the effectiveness of measures, aimed at resolving the constitutional conflict. Conclusions. Constitutional conflicts are resolved by special legal methods. Depending on the enforceability of such methods for the conflicting parties, such methods can be classified into: - enforcement methods, that are based on the constitutional power of legal enforcement to be applied to one side of the conflict by the other party or by the actor of the constitutional-legal conflict (measures of constitutional enforcement, the mechanism of checks and balances); - cooperative methods, which are understood as mechanisms for resolving constitutional conflicts, enshrined in the norms of constitutional law and based on cooperation, mutual assistance of the parties to the conflict on a parity basis (various forms of coordination, such as negotiations, mediation, conciliation). Methods and mechanisms of conflicts prevention are not the part of methods of resolving constitutional conflicts, since the first methods are applied before the appearance of constitutional and legal conflicts. A constitutional conflict diagnostics as a method of constitutional conflict prevention is based on risk management system and represents a system of legal and organizational measures, aimed at identifying risks of constitutional conflicts and legal monitoring.

Multicultural Competence of University Students in Ukraine: Reality and Perspectives

Abstract All the surveys have been done on the basis of the current global and domestic social situation analysis, as well as on available scientific work on the diagnosis and prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts among students. The contradictions between migration processes intensification and the reluctance of Ukrainian society as for the effective social integration of migrants and expats are characterized in the article. The contradictions between the avant-garde social role of students as a generator of new social standards and a significant number of inter-ethnic conflicts crimes of violence among students are also presented in the article. The monitoring of the problem of inter-ethnic conflicts among students as a community that must be perceived to uphold the progressive social values has been done. The problem contemporary students’ value perception of inter-ethnic harmony and their evaluation of the social surrounding in the inter-ethnic context; the level of multicultural competence of students of higher educational institutions as a factor in the prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts in the investigated environment are investigated in this article from the standpoint of the competence paradigm of socio-cultural activity. Based on the research data presented in the article, the thesis that the problem of inter-ethnic conflicts in the student environment is urgent, although it falls below the national average (40% and 44%, respectively) is confirmed. The defining thesis of author's research is the interpretation of multicultural competence as a component of social competence – a comprehensive personal quality based on tolerance, manifested in the ability to carry out effective dialogic interaction with representatives of the different culture or other ethnic background, and consists of value-motivational, cognitive and activity-behavioral blocks. The study was carried out in accordance with a set of characterized criteria and indicators of students’ multicultural competence formation in the context of inter-ethnic conflicts prevention. The results of the research revealed the leading reasons for the insufficient multicultural competence formation among respondents. They are: lack of inter - ethnic interaction practice; respondents' vague perceptions of the essence and social functions of multicultural competence; lack of a holistic state approach to the prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts; insufficient development of forms and experience on inter-ethnic conflicts prevention. The outlook for optimizing the problem of insufficient level of multicultural competence of university students in Ukraine are formulated at three levels: legislative, research and methodological. Keywords : multicultural competence, university, higher educational institution, students, prevention of inter-ethnic conflicts, globalization, ethno-religious context, international exchange.

Economic Mechanism of Ecological Conflicts Prevention in the Region

The subject of the research is conflicts between businesses and local population concerning negative impact of mineral resources extraction on the environment and possibilities of its prevention. The purpose of the work is creating an economic mechanism for ecological conflicts prevention in the regions where mineral resources are extracted through implementing an economic mathematical model of forming optimal assortment of compensatory measures. Mechanisms of preventing ecological conflicts in mineral resources extracting regions including two ingredients — expert analytical and optimizational — are proposed. While realizing the expert analytical constituent of the mechanism, local population on a par with authorities and representatives of the extracting enterprise are involved in prioritizing in the course of reducing man-impact on the environment and in the process of compensatory measures portfolio forming. Optimizational constituent of the mechanism for ecological conflicts prevention demands forming a model for optimal compensatory measures choice. Scientific novelty and significance of the work are presented by a rate scale for expertise of possible negative ecological consequences of creating and operating an extracting enterprise from the point of view of population groups. As the research result an algorithm of expert assessment processing enabling to determine the priority ranking for reducing man-impact on the environment and tension reduction between the extracting enterprise and local population is formed. An optimizational model enabling to determine optimal set of compensatory measures taking into account the interests of both extracting enterprises and the most conflict groups of local population is proposed.

Semantic Distance Coefficient for Semantic Field Religion of Tatar Culture-Specific Concepts and Their Equivalents in English

In present time intercultural conflicts prevention is one of the issues of the day because many people leave their native lands and migrate to other countries. But they do not leave their culture and traditions and some of them can cause misunderstanding of natives. One of the most important components of culture is religion. Religion is a part of worldview that is different to people of other countries due to historical development. This difference is reflected in the language which verbalizes the cultural worldview and sometimes the difference is presented in culture specific concepts. The article is aiming at Tatar culture-specific concepts, namely the words from the semantic field Religion. We have investigated this semantic group relative to their equivalents in English and have calculated the semantic distance coefficient for this group. The coefficient made up 12.44 and it is showing that the concepts of the field Religion segment this field differently by Tatar and English peoples. The research results can be used in future research of the Tatar language and culture, Intercultural Communication, conflict prevention as well as in Theory and Practice of Machine Translation.

Медіація як технологія запобігання конфліктам у професійній діяльності юристів

The article is devoted to the theoretical analysis of the mediation possibilities in the conflicts prevention. The determination of the mediation as ultra vires procedure of the conflict management by the way of the discussion with the help of one or more conciliators (mediators) has been given. The models of mediation which have the form of abstract theoretical constructions and they have reflected the procedural peculiarities of the mediation through the characteristics of its main components: the basement of the submission to the mediation, the degree of the integration of the judiciary of the country, as the conversation between the sides with the combination of the meditative technique of the conciliator and the capacity of his competency during the realization of the disposal of the conflict have been considered. It has been stated that the mediation owns the triple peace efforts: to prevent the conflicts, to solve the conflicts, to preventthe conflict renewal. The possibilities which have been given with the mediation in the sphere of professional judge’s, lawyer’s, scrivener’s and corporative lawyer’s activity have been executed. The professional lawyer’s activity in the sphere of the collaborative law as willing, structured and uncompetitive approach to the problems solving, based on the collaboration, collective work, sociability, honesty, personal involvement, appreciation and polite cooperation so the sides of the conflict as the juridical consultants have been distinguished. All things considered, the responsibility for the informing and educating the citizens due to the possibilities of the methods usage of the alternative solving the arguments, especially mediation take the professional lawyers. It has been stressed, the nowadays challenges in relation with the juridical sphere demand the determination of the new role of the all its representatives, consequently the modification of the existing traditional system of the arguments resolution. We strongly believe that the basement of the mediation and the methods of the alternative conflict management have to become the part of the professional education of the law schools students and the lawyers of the different specialization.

Triggers of Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Ghana: A Non-Parametric Analysis of Stakeholders’ Perspectives

In Ghana, farmer-herder conflicts have become widespread and increasingly assume a violent dimension. Competition over access to and use of land and water resources is at the center of the conflicts. However, competition does not automatically result in conflicts. The conflicts are driven by triggering activities of both farmers and herders. This study identifies triggers of farmer-herder conflicts in the Upper West Region of Ghana and tests the level of agreement among key stakeholder groups on the triggers of these conflicts. This is an important step in determining approaches to farmer-herder conflicts prevention and resolution. The data were collected via focus group discussions of five key stakeholder groups: chiefs-traditional rulers, Fulani herdsmen-cattle owners, crop farmers, civic society-media, and government agencies. Fourteen triggers of conflicts were identified by stakeholders, with destruction of crops by cattle ranking as the most important trigger. In testing agreement among stakeholder groups on triggers of conflicts, only crop farmers, chiefs-traditional rulers and government agencies significantly agree on the triggers of conflicts. There is also moderate level of concordance when the ranking of triggers of conflicts by all five stakeholder groups are simultaneously considered. The results show farmer-herder conflicts are complex and preventing and /or resolving these conflicts require integrated approaches.

Prevention of Interpersonal Conflicts in Teenagers’ Environment

The studyof interpersonal conflicts in teenagers’ environment, and also the forms and methods of teenagers’ interpersonal conflicts prevention has become the aim of the research. 137 eighth gradestudents of comprehensive schools of the city of Kazan were recruited for the experiment. The battery of tests was used to collect information: T. Leary's technique to diagnose interpersonal relationships; the scale for theassessment of psychological climate in the collective; K. Thomas'stest - description of behavior, and also methods of mathematical statistics, Student's T-criterion to check the hypotheses of reliability of thedifferencebetween means. The results revealed during the stating stage showed a low degree of psychological climate friendlinessin the collective that, in its turn, causes interpersonal conflicts. Such strategies of behavior as compromise and rivalry dominate in the group of testees in conflict situations.After the experiment there were obtained the following results: the psychological climate in the collective has improved up to the average degree of favorability; in conflict situations teenagers have started to choose such strategies of behavior as compromise and cooperation, the latter of which is aimed at theconflict constructive resolution. The number of the respondents in the group of testees who have chosenthe friendly type of interpersonal relations has increased i.e. this is the tendencyto collaboration and cooperation.

Global Order or Global Disorder

World Peace Model towards the Implementation of Plan of Dialectical Transformation of Positive Law and Legal Order as Guaranty of Spiral, Evolutionary and Endlessly Development of Humankind under the Auspice of Universal Human Rights Law through the Introduction of Comparative Legal Order Study. Substantial problem of Humankind is at the junction of Anthropology, Sociology and Jurisprudence. Based on my attempt to harmonize philosophies of Kant, Hegel and Husserl, and studies of famous legal scholars Bentham, Ostin, Holmes, Ehrlich, Kelsen, Reinach, Lauterpacht, Llevellyn, Hart, Kardozo, Rawls, David, Dworkin concerning the problems of public law, private law, international law, comparative law, justice, human rights, post-modernism, and Georgian philosophical, sociological and legal traditions since XII century, I discovered a synergetic model of dialectical, spiral, evolutionary and mutual transformation of irrationalism and rationalism as the effective method of conflicts prevention and peacefully resolution at the International, Regional, National and Local levels under the auspice of Bill of Human Rights. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n3p621