Contemporary Conflict Resolution Research Articles

Mediation as a 21st century conflict resolution mechanism: Exploring procedural fairness experiences of mediation users in Ghanaian courts

AbstractMediation has become a contemporary conflict resolution mechanism in the 21st century that offers an alternative to traditional legal processes. This qualitative study explores the experiences of mediation users in three courts in the Central Region of Ghana, with a focus on procedural fairness. Grounded in the theory of procedural fairness, the study examines how Ghanaian and African conceptions of fairness influence mediation practice. The study found that the Ghanaian and African understanding of procedural fairness is rooted in specific situations—taking into account parties' demands in generating settlement agreements, allowing parties to select their mediators, involving important personalities in mediation, ensuring the fair settlement of cases, and deciding who should speak first. Participants evaluated procedural fairness within the context of confidentiality, neutrality, party empowerment, and the assurance of being heard. These evaluations align with what has been reported in Western literature. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on conflict resolution by providing insights into the significance of procedural fairness within mediation practice, with specific reference to Ghana. The findings underscore the importance of aligning mediation processes with principles of procedural fairness, offering valuable lessons for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers who seek to optimize the efficacy and fairness of mediation as a conflict resolution mechanism.

Folklore as a Vehicle for Conflict Resolution in Africa: A Case Study of Côte d’Ivoire

This paper examines l’Arbre à Palabre (AP)—Under the Palaver Tree, an Ivorian peacebuilding mechanism in contemporary conflict resolution. I argue that contextual and local understanding of armed conflicts before designing conflict resolution mechanisms is critical for peacebuilding because of the peculiarities of every post-conflict society. The mechanisms are geographically limited and culturally distinct but ontologically homogeneous across many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. I demonstrate that while liberal peacebuilding has its problems on the continent, African mechanisms are not immune because of the dynamics of modern conflicts, therefore the latter needs innovative approaches that transcend ethnic borders to meet contemporary challenges.

Conflict Entrepreneurs in Prolonged Civil War in South Sudan

South Sudan has travelled a long and difficult journey in its quest to seek lasting peace which has been jeopardized by multifaceted factors and a multiplicity of actors including state and non-state operatives. Such determinants of internal peace processes, which have stood along the way, have been firmed up by deep and powerful players in this youngest state in Africa. Much clarity on what continues to transpire in South Sudan is grounded on scholarship which accounts for the roles of regional dimensions and international dynamics of conflict and peace processes in Sudan and South Sudan. Literature indicates that ethnonationalism, greed, grievance drivers, the Islamisation of politics when the south was part of the north, and the high-handedness of the Khartoum regime was central in the polarization of the state. We also examine the effect of natural resources particularly oil and militia factions in protracted conflicts in South Sudan. When South Sudan seceded in 2011, the state started from a fluid beginning, with weak institutionalization and the problem of ethnicization of the government and its related agencies. Although the explanations grounded on the conventional understanding of ethnicization of politics and loyalty deficits towards authority are critical, the state as an entity is bound by other activities that it maintains with external agents such as trade entrepreneurs who partly invest and occupy a wide economic space and agendas of wealth creation which informs the regimes economic wellbeing. This subject is understudied especially considering the contemporary peace processes and conflict resolution in South Sudan. In this study, I seek to explain the significance of conflict entrepreneurs in the peace process in South Sudan. Conflict Entrepreneurs consist of diverse actors including entities with commercial interests, MNCs, political elites, and states who directly and indirectly are involved in plundering resources and economic opportunities in civil war-torn South Sudan. The question is: which actors can be regarded as conflict entrepreneurs in South Sudan’s conflict context and why? Second, what roles do these entrepreneurs play in South Sudan’s peace process? Using governmental reports, newspaper analysis, and secondary research, these questions are addressed throughout this paper.

Need for Character Development Program Based on Islamic Doctrines as a Counter-Terrorism Approach at HEIs of Pakistan

The current paper addresses the crucial need for a revival in the curriculum taught at higher education institutions in Pakistan. Issues like an increase in hate crimes, racism, sectarianism, and religious intolerance are attributed to unfamiliarity with fundamental character-building doctrines of Islam, such as forgiveness, tolerance, equity, and peace. The paper further analyses the effectiveness of contemporary counter-terrorism approaches and conflict resolution theories to emphasize religion’s role in peace-building and conflict resolution. For grounding the research in empirical evidence, data was collected through structured interviews from a sample of 50 students selected using convenience sampling in higher education institutions. Findings from thematic content analysis suggested that research participants were unaware of the conflict resolution and peace-making doctrines governing an inclusive Islamic society. Therefore, the research proposes that Character Development Program (CDP) specifically aimed at Muslim students may be included in the basic curriculum taught at universities. The content of the CDP should be deduced from Quran and Sunnah for raising a religiously, morally, and spiritually aware youth. The paper concludes by proposing an intercultural sensitivity model to measure the effectiveness of workshops and training sessions conducted under CDP.

Civil War and Democracy in West Africa: Conflict Resolution Elections and Justice in Sierra Leone and Liberia by David Harris


 
 
 In the book titled Civil War and Democracy in West Africa: Conflict Resolution Elections and Justice in Sierra Leone and Liberia, author David Harris comprehensively exemplifies how in the twenty-first century, elections are viewed and used as determinants in post-conflict settings. The author builds on the aforementioned argument while generally tracing the development of conflict resolution in Africa during the post-Cold War era, but while dedicating distinct attention to such developments in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Through the case studies of the two West African states i.e. Sierra Leone and Liberia, the author critically analyzes the emphasize accorded to the role of elections as the core of conflict termination and how the failure to participate in elections leaves states consequences which are completely uncalled for. The author lays substantial stress on questioning the role of the international community in strengthening the significance of post-conflict elections and conceptions of transitional justice, especially the emergence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) generally, alongside the emergence of ad hoc hybrid systems such as the Sierra Leone Special Court (SLSC) particularly. The author does not just illustrate a vivid picture of the literature on contemporary conflict resolution more broadly but does so specifically in relation to the African continent and the emergence of the new war notion in respect of Africa's various intra-state conflicts. Harris, in this account also provides a detailed portrayal of thematic considerations and developments in relation to the conflict in Africa, exploring the ideas of ethnicity and motivation such as greed vs grievance debate. Although the main focus of this book is conflict resolution and democratization, the study of elections as the converging point which serves as the intersection of local actors, international bodies and post-conflict elections constitutes the central thematic underpinning of the book.
 
 

World Peace Is Local Peace

AbstractToday we live in a world where the majority of wars are no longer interstate, a development that over the last few decades has often left the international community, in particular the United Nations as it was originally conceived, ill equipped to respond. The nimble action required for contemporary conflict resolution and peacebuilding now primarily lies in the hands of local actors and states, sometimes supported by international actors. But it is not always clear who these local actors are or what they need in order to achieve sustainable peace. As part of the roundtable “World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It),” this essay looks in more detail at what we mean by “local” in conflict-affected contexts and asks how local is local enough when resolving conflicts and building peace. It identifies tensions and concerns such as the need for the international community to have a well-defined and easily identified “local agenda” when, in reality, there are often several competing local agendas. The essay presents the Everyday Peace Indicators project as a vehicle that can be used to help communicate these local needs to international actors, and argues for the importance of understanding people's perceived realities in addition to, if not more than, their actual realities when trying to understand peace and conflict trends. In order to do this, we need to more effectively problematize peacebuilding for positive conflict disruption.

Drama of Separatism

<p><em>Kashmir dispute is an extremely complicated phenomenon offering obviously an unmanageable challenge to contemporary conflict resolution methods and techniques. The research article attempts to investigate the relationship between the Hurriyat and unrest in Kashmir and in addition to this, it tries to examine the role of separatists powers in regulating the Kashmir unrest. The study is based on an argument that how the separatist parties are striking extremist politics on Kashmir issue and how they are preserving the power of separatism. The paper will examine the major reasons that are responsible for the growth of separatist forces, insurgency, unrest and how it gained momentum only after 1989. Finally, the paper will explore some of the contemporary trends prevailing in the Kashmir conflict.</em></p>

The Sense of a Better Ending: Legal Pluralism and Performative Jurisprudence inAtanarjuat the Fast Runner

This article argues that Igloolik Isuma’s first feature length film, Atanarjuat the Fast Runner, performs a meaningful reading of traditional Inuit legal systems, and puts time-honoured notions of customary law and Inuit social governance into practice. The process of conflict resolution is carefully depicted in the film, which is attentive to the processes of jurisprudence and to a range of possible outcomes. The movement toward a communal justice is shown in an elaborate, carefully detailed, step-by-step process (that still remains unobtrusive, and can be “missed” by some viewers). The film is formal and deliberate, and proceeds at a pace that enables the clear articulation of a specifically Inuit legal culture; it shows Inuit legal practitioners operating in ways that reveal Inuit legal principles in action. In restaging and recontextualizing a well-known narrative from Inuit oral tradition, Atanarjuat makes these local traditions of jurisprudence visible and accessible by relating them in modern form. The film does not leave these traditions and performative systems intact and in the past, however, but updates them for a contemporary audience and in dialogical relation to broader systems of contemporary justice in Canada. In this way Atanarjuat demonstrates Inuit legal systems, in practice, as being flexible, adaptable, and capable of being updated; it shows them struggling to maintain order and continuity in the face of violence and dispossession. This article suggests that Atanarjuat the Fast Runner effectively models performative jurisprudence and the interpretive nature of dialogical governance, and provides one situated, appropriate, culturally sensitive resource and model for contemporary conflict resolution and community governance in Inuit communities today.

Whither peacebuilding? A reflection on post-conflict African experiences

ABSTRACTPeacebuilding is a key concept in efforts to reconstruct African states emerging from conflicts. At heart, it captures the whole array of activities associated with state-and nation-building in addition to building the foundations for local ownership of these processes. Popularised by the UN Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Ghali in the early 1990s, peacebuilding has evolved alongside peacemaking and peacekeeping in the reconstruction repertoire. This article suggests that while there is considerable scepticism about the utility of peacebuilding in contemporary conflict resolution efforts, African experiences have, since the 1990s, provided solid lessons to both local and international actors on how to rebuild states, societies, polities, and economies.

‘Cry “HAVOC!” and Let Slip the Dogs of War’: Regulating Private Military and Security Companies

The second biggest contingent in Iraq after US forces, contractors have become something of a staple in contemporary conflict resolution and peacekeeping operations. The rise of private security and military firms is not a recent phenomenon. It has been a given since the end of the Cold War, thanks to a particular momentum in the market for force. Traditional armed forces have had their budgets cut and have sometimes had to undergo drastic economic reforms. At the same time, the market for force has seen the arrival of huge numbers of highly qualified military personnel. These developments have been beneficial to the rise of private military and security companies. However, they have also exposed the weakness of international law and regulation (and EU regulation in particular) when it comes to dealing with these firms.

The Relevance of Clausewitz’s Theory of War to Contemporary Conflict Resolution

It is not what we have thought, but rather how we have thought it, that we consider to be our contribution to theory.Tiha von Ghyczy, Boiko von Oetinger, and Christopher Bassford 1Carl von Clausewitz has been studied extensively for 150 years by dedicated scholars and is acknowledged to be one of the few truly great writers on war. Many aspects of his ideas and concepts have received much attention in recent years and continue to remain relevant, and are often used in today's doctrines and for civil-military educational processes. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the most important theoretical aspects of and strategy expounded by Clausewitz, some of which are enduring contributions to contemporary thought and still relevant to today's strategists.Three crucial points will be used to support this contention. first point is a conventional reference to his thinking: one the one hand, war is an extension of policy; on the other, war is an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.2 second point relates to his analysis of the nature of and trinity theory. final point concerns his understanding of the nature of strategy.To begin, one may pose a basic question: what are Clausewitz's most important contributions to the theory of insofar as they are relevant to strategists today? In other words, what can a nineteenth century Prussian general teach a twenty-first century executive or entrepreneur about the theory of war?Clausewitz applied a scientific, methodological approach to analyzing in all of its aspects. This article presents and examines his most important and enduring contributions to the theory of and strategy, and underlines their most important aspects. Firstly, particularly noteworthy is his famous conclusion that is merely the continuation of policy by other means.3 essence of this theory was Clausewitz's description of the vertical continuum of (policy and strategy tactics), which he presents in the strategic ends, ways, and means paradigm. According to this, Clausewitz explains that ...war in itself does not suspend political intercourse... War cannot be divorced from political life...4The excerpts above reveal how Clausewitz refers to the political objective of war. This observation accurately captures the key aspect of war: its subordination to politics. Clausewitz's teaching about the relationship between politics and can therefore be concluded with this summary: will have fulfilled its main task when it is used to analyze the constituent elements of war... Theory then becomes a guide to anyone who wants to learn about from books.5Clausewitz sees as completely subordinate to policy. In On War, he explains that The political object-the original motive for the war-will thus determine both the military objective to be reached and the amount of effort it requires.6 In his view, war is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will.7 It seems fair to say that this definition remains relevant today, with the caveat that current conflicts include all kinds of asymmetric threats (terrorism, organized crime, drug cartels, and so on.) Clearly, this definition emphasizes the centrality of combat, which separates from conflict. To support previous points, Clausewitz describes as ...a clash between major interests, which is resolved by bloodshed - that is the only way in which it differs from other conflicts.8 This leads to a clear understanding of the distinction between and conflict, particularly in today's contemporary environment in which the threats are often asymmetric threats. However, what differentiates warfare today from the warfare conducted during Clausewitz's time should be kept in mind. A crucial difference lies in the non-kinetic aspect of contemporary warfare - namely, in information warfare. As a result of globalization and technological development that enables instant messaging over different information platforms, information campaigns have a vital role to play in winning wars by winning hearts and minds, as well as by discrediting the enemy (for example recently in Afghanistan between NATO and Taliban forces). …

The Relevance of Clausewitz’s Theory of War to Contemporary Conflict Resolution

The Relevance of Clausewitz’s Theory of War to Contemporary Conflict Resolution

Amnesty: a ‘conversation’ within the medium of culture. A dialogue approach to the strategy of amnesty in protracted social conflict situations

In contemporary conflict resolution there are various strategies in place to assist the liberal peace-building project. This article investigates the controversial strategy of amnesty within protracted social conflict situations. It challenges the juridical approach towards the strategy by exploring amnesty as a ‘dialogue’ or ‘conversation’ within the medium of cultures. The author will utilise Feller and Ryan's eight multidisciplinary characteristics of ‘dialogue’ to explore amnesty as a conversation among its participants and wider society. This is supplemented by a case study examining the amnesty process under the Amnesty Act 2000 in the East-Central African nation of Uganda. It concludes with theoretical and policy implications for both scholars and practitioners of conflict resolution.

Book Review: International Relations: Contemporary Conflict Resolution

Book Review: International Relations: Contemporary Conflict Resolution

Naga militancy and violent politics in the shadow of ceasefire

Ceasefires are often seen as a simple measure to end violence and allow more substantive negotiations to begin. Contemporary conflict resolution models thus posit the ceasefire as a basic step in the peacebuilding trajectory. Offering an in-depth analysis of Naga militancy in Northeast India, this article argues that ceasefires should rather be understood as a part of the dynamics of conflict. Northeast India is a site of protracted conflict involving multiple contestants, where Naga militant organizations play a key role. A string of ceasefires since 1997 between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) has contained fighting between security forces and militants, while violence has continued unabated between NSCN factions and among an array of other armed groups in the area claimed as ‘Nagalim’, with serious consequences for local communities. This study suggests that ceasefires may impact on conflict dynamics in at least three ways, all interrelated: (1) by affecting the internal cohesion of belligerent groups, (2) by affecting the operational space of armed groups, and (3) by affecting the relations between multiple stakeholders and parties to a conflict, including but not limited to the challenger(s) and the state. The study concludes that the terms of ceasefire agreements, the strategic use of ceasefires by conflict actors, and the opportunities created by a lack of effective monitoring of ceasefire ground rules has facilitated the operations of militants vying for territory, revenues from illegal ‘taxation’ and political stakes. Ceasefires have also paved the way for an escalation of factional and intergroup fighting and violent politics in Northeast India, by empowering signatory groups versus contenders as well as nonviolent actors.

Judging war, judging history: behind truth and reconciliation

In a country or community fractured by war and mass violence, who is to determine and how it should be achieved? Truth commissions, international courts, and financial restitution are some of the various solutions that have been used in recent years. However, these broad efforts at transitional justice may themselves backfire, and sometimes lead to further injustice. Given its own limitations and battered by political pressure from all sides, transitional justice is an imperfect solution. Yet as Pierre Hazan contends in his new book, it constitutes our best hope for liberation from a cycle of violence begetting vengeance and more violence. Judging War, Judging History takes a hard look at the growing use and influence of truth and reconciliation commissions and the increasing importance of transitional justice in contemporary conflict resolution. From the Nuremberg Trials to current-day conflicts in South Africa, Morocco, and Uganda, Pierre Hazan reveals the extent to which the approaches intended to commemorate events and mend societies after acts of war and violence ultimately intensify the huge task of dealing with victims' claims for recognition. This compelling book uncovers the tensions created by these new reconciliation policies and shows how changing ideas about and approaches to justice influence not only our understanding of the past, but also our contemporary social and political choices.

Introduction: The Distinctive Role of Culture in Peacekeeping

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Michael Pugh for his invaluable support in realizing this special issue on ‘culture and peacekeeping’. Notes See also Roland Paris's article on ‘global culture’ referring to an international normative environment that shapes the design of peacekeeping operations in fundamental ways: ‘Peacekeeping and the Constraints of Global Culture’, European Journal of International Relations, Vol.9, No.3, 2003, pp.441–73. Amitav Gosh, ‘The Global Reservation: Notes toward an Ethnography of International Peacekeeping’, Cultural Anthropology, Vol.9, No.3, 1994, pp.412–22. Oliver Ramsbotham, Tom Woodhouse and Hugh Miall, Contemporary Conflict Resolution, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2005, pp.141–3. See Nigel Rapport and Joanna Overing, Social and Cultural Anthropology: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge, 2000, p.97. Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays, New York: Basic Books, 1973, p.10. Rapport and Overing (see n.4 above), p.96. Tim Ingold, ‘Introduction to Culture’, in Ingold (ed.), Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology: Humanity, Culture and Social Life, New York: Routledge, 2002, p.330, original emphasis. Robert Rubinstein, Peacekeeping under Fire, Boulder, CO: Paradigm Press, 2008.

Constructive conflict transformation

The field of contemporary conflict resolution, or conflictology, has developed as a synthesis of theory and research combined with applications and practices that contribute to waging constructive conflicts (Galtung 2009; Kriesberg 2008; Vinyamata 2001). In this essay, I examine how that synthesis helps explain the constructive transformation of large-scale violent conflicts in recent years and suggests policies that foster such transformations. Briefly stated, constructive conflicts are conducted and concluded with minimal violence and with broadly shared benefits for members of the opposing sides.

The Structure of Negotiation: Lessons from El Salvador for Contemporary Conflict Resolution

During more than a decade of violent conflict (1980–1992) involving the military, rebel forces, and paramilitary “death squads,” El Salvador suffered some 75,000 casualties, mostly civilians. After three years of negotiations, the government and the largest rebel group signed a historic comprehensive peace accord that brought an end to the war and instituted wide‐reaching political and social reforms. This agreement, and the peace process that produced it, has been widely hailed as a successful example of a negotiated end to civil war. In order to understand the conditions that led to the 1992 Chapultepec Peace Accords ending the war, this article tests ripeness theory in the context of the Salvadoran peace process.This article affirms the validity of theories of ripeness and the mutually hurting stalemate as structural explanations for the initiation of dialogue and notes the role of “indicators of ripeness” in forcing the parties to recognize a hurting stalemate that may already exist. It also proposes several hypothesized explanations for the effectiveness of the Salvadoran negotiations themselves. These explanations include the presence of strong, empowered policy entrepreneurs on both sides with the political will and capability to make credible commitments; the combination of internal and external pressure for a negotiated solution that raised the cost of defection; and the active involvement, based on consent of both parties, of a neutral, empowered, and credible mediator who provided both technical assistance and vigilance to move the process forward. After analyzing the Salvadoran case through this theoretical lens, the article applies the same concepts to contemporary conflict cases such as Iraq and Colombia, discussing how the lessons learned in El Salvador do and do not provide instructive guidance for managing civil conflicts today.

Challenges to peace: conflict resolution in the great lakes region of Africa

Efforts to bring peace and reconstruction to the Central African region have been fashioned by contemporary conflict resolution models that have a standard formula of peace negotiations, with a trajectory of ceasefire agreements, transitional governments, demilitarization, constitutional reform and ending with democratic elections. Local dynamics and the historical and multifaceted nature of the conflicts are rarely addressed. Furthermore, participants in the peace process are restricted to representatives of political parties, the state and rebel movements, to the exclusion of civil society. Using as examples the conflicts and peace processes in three Great Lakes countries—Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo—the paper contends that contemporary global frameworks for peacemaking and peace building that rest on the acceptance of neoliberal political and economic models cannot lay the foundations for the conditions necessary for sustainable peace. This necessitates the utilisation of a more inclusive concept of peace, the starting point of which has to be the emancipation of African humanity.