Framework For Conflict Resolution Research Articles

Gender perspective in the making: The case of the Colombian peacebuilding process

AbstractThe peace negotiation process between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC‐EP) is considered one of the most comprehensive peace agreements and is internationally acclaimed for being the first in history to have a gender perspective as a guiding principle. However, several institutions mandated to monitor the gender perspective have identified signs of stagnation in this perspective. As the peace agreement enters the second half of its 15‐year implementation period, this article uses a conflict resolution framework to understand what might be preventing a successful and timely implementation of a gender perspective in Colombia. Findings emerging from recent research suggest that conceptual, technical, political, financial and security hurdles sustain a violent and discriminatory system for women, ultimately impacting the effectiveness of the peace agreement.

From Fragile To Fortified: A Conceptual Framework For International Cooperation Fostering Value Conflict Resolution And Resilient Urban Leadership

From Fragile To Fortified: A Conceptual Framework For International Cooperation Fostering Value Conflict Resolution And Resilient Urban Leadership

A Conflict Resolution Strategy at a Taxiway Intersection by Combining a Monte Carlo Tree Search with Prior Knowledge

With the escalating complexity of surface operations at large airports, the conflict risk for aircraft taxiing has correspondingly increased. Usually, the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) generate route, speed and holding instructions to resolve conflicts. In this paper, we introduce a conflict resolution framework that incorporates prior knowledge by integrating a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) neural network into the Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) approach. The neural network is trained to learn the allocation strategy for waiting time extracted from actual aircraft taxiing trajectory data. Subsequently, the action probability distribution generated with the neural network is embedded into the MCTS algorithm as a heuristic evaluation function to guide the search process in finding the optimal conflict resolution strategy. Experimental results show that the average conflict resolution rate is 96.8% in different conflict scenarios, and the taxiing time required to resolve conflicts is reduced by an average of 42.77% compared to the taxiing time in actual airport surface operations.

History of the diplomatic negotiation in the International court of justice narrative, a review of the ICJ jurisprudence

Diplomatic negotiation serves as a fundamental prerequisite to both arbitration and judicial settlement, a dynamic that unfolds alongside the evolution of conventional international law. Negotiation stands as an essential and integral precursor to the arbitral resolution. In this comprehensive review, we delve into the jurisprudence of the Permanent Court of International Justice (P.C.I.J.) and the International Court of Justice (I.C.J.), shedding light on the critical role of negotiation in achieving agreements and peaceful dispute resolutions. The prevailing customary foundation mirrors an era in international law marked by the "quasi-legislative role" of traditional sources. The obligation to negotiate may seemingly encroach on State sovereignty while endeavoring to establish a framework for nonviolent conflict resolution. Thus, it becomes imperative to initially address the juxtaposition between the sovereignty principle and the obligation to negotiate. Considering these realities, sovereignties are compelled to find common ground, underscoring the pivotal role of diplomatic negotiation in binding what is commonly referred to as the community of nations, evolving towards a higher level of political awareness ensure sustainable commitments between Nations and international stakeholders.

A Heuristic Approach for Resolving Spatial Conflicts of Buildings in Urban Villages

Building displacement is a common operation to resolve the spatial conflicts between map features, and it has important theoretical value and practical application significance for multi-scale mapping. The prerequisite for a successful displacement operation is that there is extra space around the conflicting buildings into which they can be displaced. Otherwise, additional generalization operators need to be combined to resolve spatial conflicts. Based on this idea, this study proposes a new heuristic spatial conflict resolution framework that mainly resolves the spatial conflicts between buildings and other features in urban villages by combining three cartographic generalization operators: selection, displacement, and aggregation. This method first reduces the density of buildings in the block through selection operation, then resolves the spatial conflicts between buildings and other features through displacement operation, and finally, the aggregation operation is performed to eliminate any remaining conflicts and newly generated conflicts. Experiments were carried out using real urban village data, and visual inspection and quantitative analysis were used to evaluate the experimental results. The evaluation results show that the proposed framework can not only resolve spatial conflicts well, but also maintain the spatial distribution and area balance of the buildings in urban villages.

Two-Stage Multicriteria Decision-Making Framework for Aircraft Conflict Resolution

In this study, a two-stage multicriteria decision-making framework for aircraft conflict resolution in the air traffic management system is proposed. Aircraft conflict resolution has been commonly solved based on single-objective optimization. However, the existing approach may not provide a satisfactory solution to all stakeholders involved in the air traffic management system. Therefore, in the first stage of the proposed algorithm, a new conflict resolution strategy is presented based on multiobjective optimization in which multiple-objective functions are optimized simultaneously. Each objective function is designed to take into account the interests of various stakeholders, and the augmented epsilon-constraint method is applied to determine Pareto optimal solutions. In the second stage, the best compromise solution among the Pareto optimal solutions is determined based on the technique for order performance by similarity to the ideal solution. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed algorithm provides a better solution from the perspective of mitigating the competing interests among stakeholders than the existing approach based on single-objective optimization.

Conflict analysis based on a novel three-way decisions graph model for conflict resolution method under hesitant fuzzy environment

Multi-criteria decision aiding/making (MCDA/M) approach and three-way decisions (3WD) are embedded into the framework of graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR). The objective of this study is to develop more reasonable preference ranking for decision makers (DMs) produced from the perspective of options. This implies further simplification of the underlying computing behind conflict resolution. More specifically, DMs’ original option statements are evaluated by hesitant fuzzy sets (HFSs), then a three-way decisions approach is used to screen out the infeasible and rank the feasible option statements, and the feasible option statements’ loss values of three-way decisions approach are determined based on the hesitant fuzzy (HF) evaluation values. In addition, based on the value of conditional probability of the feasible option statements, an improved option prioritization technique with objective weights is developed to efficiently rank the conflict states, so that it can efficiently reflect the intensity of the ranking. Then, considering the preference thresholds of DMs, new definitions of threshold stabilities are proposed. As demonstrated by the case study in the problem of a carbon emission conflict in supply chain under “3060 carbon peak and neutrality” goal in China, the proposed novel three-way decisions graph model for conflict resolution (3WD-GMCR) framework can be widely applied to the realistic scenarios of decision-making. Compared with previous studies, the proposed approach can not only obtain the intensity ranking of conflict states, but also resolve complex large-scale conflicts effectively.

Strengthening health systems and peacebuilding through women’s leadership: a qualitative study

BackgroundActive and protracted conflict settings demonstrate the need to prioritise the peace through health agenda. This can be achieved by reorienting attention toward gender diverse leadership and more effective governance within health systems. This approach may enable women to have a greater voice in the decision-making of health and social interventions, thereby enabling the community led and context specific knowledge required to address the root causes of persistent inequalities and inequities in systems and societies.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study, which included semi-structured interviews with 25 key informants, two focus group discussions and one workshop with humanitarian workers in local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) agencies, health practitioners, and academics, from Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Latin America. Findings were then applied to the peacebuilding pyramid designed by John Paul Lederach which provides a practical framework for mediation and conflict resolution in several conflict-affected settings. The purpose of the framework was to propose an adapted conceptualisation of leadership to include women’s leadership in the health system and be more applicable in protracted conflict settings.ResultsFive interrelated themes emerged. First, perceptions of terms such as gender equality, equity, mainstreaming, and leadership varied across participants and contexts. Second, armed conflict is both a barrier and an enabler for advancing women’s leadership in health systems. Third, health systems themselves are critical in advancing the nexus between women’s leadership, health systems and peacebuilding. Fourth, across all contexts we found strong evidence of an instrumental relationship between women’s leadership in health systems in conflict-affected settings and peacebuilding. Lastly, the role of donors emerged as a critical obstacle to advance women’s leadership.ConclusionContinuing to empower women against social, cultural, and institutional barriers is crucial, as the emerging correlation between women’s leadership, health systems, and peacebuilding is essential for long-term stability, the right to health, and health system responsiveness.

DeResolver: A Decentralized Conflict Resolution Framework with Autonomous Negotiation for Smart City Services

As various smart services are increasingly deployed in modern cities, many unexpected conflicts arise due to various physical world couplings. Existing solutions for conflict resolution often rely on centralized control to enforce predetermined and fixed priorities of different services, which is challenging due to the inconsistent and private objectives of the services. Also, the centralized solutions miss opportunities to more effectively resolve conflicts according to their spatiotemporal locality of the conflicts. To address this issue, we design a decentralized negotiation and conflict resolution framework named DeResolver, which allows services to resolve conflicts by communicating and negotiating with each other to reach a Pareto-optimal agreement autonomously and efficiently. Our design features a two-step self-supervised learning-based algorithm to predict acceptable proposals and their rankings of each opponent through the negotiation. Our design is evaluated with a smart city case study of three services: intelligent traffic light control, pedestrian service, and environmental control. In this case study, a data-driven evaluation is conducted using a large dataset consisting of the GPS locations of 246 surveillance cameras and an automatic traffic monitoring system with more than 3 million records per day to extract real-world vehicle routes. The evaluation results show that our solution achieves much more balanced results, i.e., only increasing the average waiting time of vehicles, the measurement metric of intelligent traffic light control service, by 6.8% while reducing the weighted sum of air pollutant emission, measured for environment control service, by 12.1%, and the pedestrian waiting time, the measurement metric of pedestrian service, by 33.1%, compared to priority-based solution.

A multi-criteria analysis framework for conflict resolution in the case of offshore wind farm sitting: A study of England and the Netherlands offshore space

Growing EU energy ambitions in the North Sea region are urging for an accelerated deployment of large-scale renewable energy (RE) infrastructure, with offshore wind farms (OWF) playing an essential role. However, implementing the current EU targets is limited by the competing spatial claims between existing sea uses and OWFs and uncertainties related to potential risks of interaction, creating important barriers to a swift roll-out of RE infrastructure. In tackling this issue, we are proposing a transparent and spatially explicit multi-criteria analysis tool to quantify and qualify the main risks and opportunities resulting from the interaction between OWFs and four other seas user groups (shipping, marine protected areas, fisheries and military activities). The multi-criteria analysis framework is accounting for sectoral activity specific risks of interaction with OWFs, classified through the respective available conflict resolution options, which allows for the quantification of the average conflict score (ACS) between the selected activities and OWFs. Using the resulting ACS and the geo-location of areas of interaction, we map areas of high and low conflict with OWFs and indicate management options for solving, minimizing or compensating the conflicts. Our results indicate that conflict resolution strategies in marine mammal’s habitats present the highest potential for unlocking medium value OWF sites both for the Dutch case (15.8 – 28 GWs) and English case (15.94-28.3 GWs), followed by pelagic fisheries in the Dutch case (15-26.9 GWs) and passenger/cargo routes in the English case (10.9-19.4 GWs). The strategic planning of increasingly larger and more complex OWF projects will require a better understanding not only of the level of conflict with the other sea users in relation to the valuable OWF sites, but also potential management options to solve, minimize or compensate those conflicts. As an example, accessing 6.8-12.3 GWs in high value OWF sites in the Dutch EEZ will require the relocating of military flying areas with forbidden access, while technical solutions such as “fill-in-the-gap” or relocation of lower airspace radars could unlock 10.25-18.16 GWs in the English EEZ. By avoiding high risk areas and prioritizing areas of low conflict, the bottlenecks, negative effects and inefficiencies related to space management options can be minimized, while synergies and positive effects of OWF deployment can be timely captured.

Impact of external influence on unilateral improvements in the graph model for conflict resolution

A novel method is presented to model and analyze the influence exerted by external stakeholders within the graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) framework. The unilateral improvement possibility is constructed in order to measure the impact of external influence on unilateral improvement. The unilateral improvements by decision makers (DMs) in the traditional GMCR are modified by the unilateral improvement possibility. Four stability concepts—Nash stability, general metarationality, symmetric metarationality, and sequential stability—are defined under the structure of unilateral improvement based on possibility. Finally, the new method is applied to a real-world conflict over brownfield remediation at the Changzhou Foreign Languages School located in the City of Changzhou, Province of Jiangsu, China, to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the method developed.

Adaptive conflict resolution for multi-UAV 4D routes optimization using stochastic fractal search algorithm

The increasing unmanned aircraft system (UAS) applications in urban environments pose challenges for safe and efficient low altitude air traffic management. As an essential enabler to meet these challenges, pre-flight 4D routes optimization is required to conduct conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) and to generate conflict-free flight routes before departure. Existing studies on strategic deconfliction cover several types of strategies such as scheduling or rerouting. However, a single type of strategy used to solve different types of conflicts may lead to an unsafe and inefficient way of conflict resolution. This paper proposes an adaptive decision-making framework to optimize the resolution strategies used for different types of conflicts with explainable mechanisms. The proposed framework is formulated as a double-layer optimization problem with the considerations of scheduling, speed adjustment, and rerouting strategies for conflict resolution. The first layer of the framework is established as a probabilistic selection model to make decisions on which strategy should be selected for what type of conflict. The second layer is developed as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model to optimize the decision variables of the strategies selected by the first layer. To solve the proposed double-layer optimization problem, we introduce and improve a novel meta-heuristic stochastic fractal search (SFS) algorithm with two major improvements of a penalty-guided fitness function and an exploitation-exploration balancing scheme. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive conflict resolution framework successfully optimizes the strategies used for each type of flight conflict, which subsequently optimizes the 4D routes with significant reductions in total operational cost, number of flight conflicts, and flight delays. The improved stochastic fractal search (ISFS) algorithm is also proved effective and reliable in solving the proposed optimization problem in different traffic density scenarios.

A novel framework for water right conflict resolution considering actors’ power and inter-organizational relationships analysis

Abstract Water allocation from reservoirs has always been a challenging issue for decision-makers. The more the stakeholders in the allocation projects, the more conflicts among them could be expected to receive more water rights. As a result, it is necessary to study the relations and power among organizations. In this study, the Ilam dam was used as the case study, and the social network analysis was also used to assess the interactions among the involved organizations and evaluate their power using centrality measures. Based on the network analysis and actors’ power assessment, a novel approach was applied to define and analyze the conflict associated with water quantity allocation. Accordingly, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution was used for both basic and power-asymmetric conflict analysis models. In the power-asymmetric approach, the direct power scenario gives the most powerful actor the possibility of punishing the violating organizations using their political and executive power. Based on the status quo of the conflict, the results obtained from the equilibrium analysis show that both the power of the main actor and the nature of relationships other actors have with the most powerful actor directly influence the conflict's outcome.

Multi-vehicle Conflict Management under Time Delays

This paper extends the framework for conflict resolution to multiple vehicles with different automation levels, while considering time delays in vehicle dynamics and in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Using reachability analysis, we interpret the V2X-based vehicle status information to enable real-time decision making and control of a connected automated vehicle interacting with multiple connected vehicles. We reveal the effects of time delays in such mixed-autonomy environment, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed conflict resolution strategies using simulations with real highway traffic data.

走向冲突解决的四层模式

This paper aims to lay down the foundations upon which stands an unprecedented and unparalleled four-tiered model of conflict resolution, which is bound to be a seismic shift in the remit of mediation. The foregoing model of conflict resolution rests upon four pillars. The first pillar has been coined the social dynamics of conflict resolution. The second pillar has been dubbed the cultural dynamics of conflict resolution. The third pillar has been baptized the legal dynamics of conflict resolution. Finally, the fourth pillar has been called the cross-border and cross-cultural dynamics of conflict resolution.
 The overriding goal of this paper is to carve out a functional conflict resolution framework amenable to assuage the yawning chasm between law and the underlying social reality of/in a given jurisdiction. To cater to that, this paper endeavours to cast a new light on the polymath Professor Niklas Luhmann´s ground-breaking academic work with a view to support my central claim that social sub-systems (ranging from culture, society, religion, political ideology, economy, philosophy, and law) have permanently interacted with each other throughout the vast swathes of history (and) for a long-winded time. Following on the heels of such assertion, the sweeping objective underpinning this paper is to set forth a full-fledged and comprehensive model of conflict resolution that parses mediation in four perspectives with a view to yield both a sought-after long-term harmony-equilibrium and a wealth procedural maximization across jurisdictions.

Reservoir operation under accidental MTBE pollution: A graph-based conflict resolution framework considering spatial-temporal-quantitative uncertainties

Given the hazardous effects of sudden dam reservoir contamination — as might occur upon the intrusion of the fuel additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) — the contaminant’s effect on the quality of allocated waters requires careful study. Employed to determine optimal reservoir operational rules in the case of sudden MTBE pollution, a risk-based simulation–optimization model was developed to simultaneously minimize unsatisfied water demand, the risk of violations of water quality standards, and the reservoir recovery time. Risks were assessed by considering various often-neglected pollution scenarios as a combination of location, quantity, and the season of pollution intrusion. The appropriateness of operational rules proved to depend upon thermal conditions and MTBE intrusion properties, confirming the necessity of considering location-quantity-season uncertainties. Social and regional conditions also occupied a dominant role in determining the level of satisfaction achieved under different water allocation strategies. Accordingly, by considering environmental conditions and local rules, a graph model for conflict resolution was established and used to reach a set of compromise operational rules. The developed framework could serve as a guide for water utilities to determine efficient reservoir operational rules after a sudden contaminant intrusion.

Power mediators and the ‘illiberal peace’ momentum: ending wars in Libya and Syria

The civil conflicts that erupted in the Middle East and North Africa as a consequence of the failure of the 2011 Arab uprisings show the limits of mediation as a tool for conflict resolution and of negotiated settlement based on power-sharing as a solution to conflict. The article examines mediation processes in Libya and Syria, problematising the role played by the nature of mediators as well as the broader ideational framework in which they have been operating. We show that in both contexts there has been a declining influence of pure mediators, exemplified by the sidelining of the United Nations, in parallel to a gradual but steady dispersion of mediation efforts in favour of ‘power’ and biased mediators. This trend reflects a broader rise in arguments in favour of stability, often interpreted in authoritarian shapes at both the local and the international level, a development that normatively and politically undermines the existing international regime dealing with civil wars. Taken together, mediation attempts in Libya and Syria point to the hollowing out of the liberal peace consensus and the consolidation of an alternative framework for conflict resolution based on authoritarian settlement.

Toward a systematic conflict resolution framework for ontologies

BackgroundThe ontology authoring step in ontology development involves having to make choices about what subject domain knowledge to include. This may concern sorting out ontological differences and making choices between conflicting axioms due to limitations in the logic or the subject domain semantics. Examples are dealing with different foundational ontologies in ontology alignment and OWL 2 DL’s transitive object property versus a qualified cardinality constraint. Such conflicts have to be resolved somehow. However, only isolated and fragmented guidance for doing so is available, which therefore results in ad hoc decision-making that may not be the best choice or forgotten about later.ResultsThis work aims to address this by taking steps towards a framework to deal with the various types of modeling conflicts through meaning negotiation and conflict resolution in a systematic way. It proposes an initial library of common conflicts, a conflict set, typical steps toward resolution, and the software availability and requirements needed for it. The approach was evaluated with an actual case of domain knowledge usage in the context of epizootic disease outbreak, being avian influenza, and running examples with COVID-19 ontologies.ConclusionsThe evaluation demonstrated the potential and feasibility of a conflict resolution framework for ontologies.

Object Oriented Policy Conflict Checking Framework in Cloud Networks (OOPC)

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) provides a programmable framework for multi-tenant cloud network management and orchestration. The end-to-end packet processing induced by virtual network functions (VNFs) like stateless firewall, load balancer, intrusion detection, and prevention system (IDPS) in a network involves the processing of network traffic through security policies matching the traffic pattern defined in security rules of individual VNF. The conflicting rules in terms of traffic match and conflicting actions can lead to a) violation of security requirements (authentication and authorization bypass) b) mission requirements - the presence of redundant rules (increased latency, reduced throughput). We present a new object-oriented policy conflict detection and resolution framework (OOPC), which analyzes the rule dependency relationships between the rules of heterogeneous virtual network functions (VNFs) and creates a VNF-Graph. The rules are analyzed using object-oriented dependencies between the address space and actions of VNF rules. OOPC utilizes a compact VNF-Graph, which leads to a reduction in search complexity when analyzing new security policies. Our security policy composition in our framework OOPC achieves 37 percent lower latency in policy graph composition than previous work. The proposed solution performs 20 percent faster security policy conflict detection on a cloud network with 60k OpenFlow rules than prior frameworks that serve a similar purpose.

Conflict Disruption: Reassessing the Peaceandconflict System

ABSTRACT The notion of conflict disruption is proposed as an addition to the established conflict response framework of conflict management, resolution and transformation. Drawing on Schumpeter’s idea of creative disruption, the article considers how disruptive actions or stances may trigger or operate within conflict management, resolution, or transformation Moreover, conflict disruption prompts us to think of peace and conflict in systemic terms: peaceandconflict. Thus the article concludes by discussing the wider implications of conflict disruption for four aspects of peace and conflict: Time, Power, Scale and Connectedness.