Middle Of Conflict Research Articles

EKLESIOLOGI WILLIAM CHANG: BERTEOLOGI DAMAI DI TENGAH KONFLIK

This study focuses on William Chang's ecclesiological research: "Doing Theology of Peace in the Middle of Conflict". There are two objectives of this research. First, to investigate the roots and sources of conflicts that have occurred in West Kalimantan, and the second is to offer a peaceful theology method proposed by William Chang to readers in order to resolve and anticipate the emergence of similar conflicts. This research has its context in West Kalimantan. The reason why the author chose West Kalimantan as the object of research is firstly because West Kalimantan has experienced bloody and deadly conflicts that have resulted in a loss of peace there. In such a situation, the Church is called to proclaim and maintain the order of peaceful life as mandated by Christ. The method used in this research is qualitative research methods. Here priority is given to research related to the results of previous research on the conflicts in West Kalimantan. Furthermore, the writer presents what the Church teaches regarding how to respond to social problems. Departing from these two theses, the writer then conducts a critical analysis by comparing it with the theological methods offered by William Chang. After going through a series of analyzes, this research finds that William Chang's method provides a contextual theological offer for the people of West Kalimantan.

Abbâsîler’in Kuruluşundan IX. Yüzyılın Sonuna Kadar Rey Şehrinde Siyasi Durum

Eski Çağ’larda Ragha-Raga şeklinde kaydedilen günümüzdeki Tahran’ın 8 km güneydoğunda yer alan Rey şehri, Orta Asya’yı Anadolu’ya bağlayan tarihi İpek yolu üzerinde bulunmasından dolayı önemli bir jeopolitik konuma sahip olmuştur. Birçok İslâm coğrafyacısı tarafından Cibâl Eyaletinin bir şehri sayılan Rey, Hulafâ-yi Râşidîn döneminde İslâm hâkimiyetine geçmiştir. Ancak şehirdeki Arap-İslâm hâkimiyetinin yerleşmesi biraz zaman almış, şehirde zaman zaman isyanlar meydana gelmiştir. Emevî Hilafetinin kurulmasından sonra Rey, Emevî idaresine geçmiş ancak bu dönemde şehirdeki problemler daha da artmıştır. Önceki dönemlerde yaşanan problemlere rağmen Rey, Abbâsî Hilafetinin kurulmasından sonra Abbâsîlerin en önemli şehirlerinden birisi haline gelmiştir. Abbâsîler zamanında şehirde zaman zaman problemler yaşanmasına karşın IX. yüzyılın ortasına kadar Rey’de nispeten istikrarlı bir dönem yaşanmıştır. Fakat bu yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren şehir, mahalli hükümdarlıkların hedefi olmuş ve çatışmaların ortasında kalmıştır. Bu çalışmada; Abbâsî hilafetinin kuruluşundan IX. yüzyılın sonuna kadar Rey şehrinin siyasi durumu incelenmiştir. Bu bağlamda bu dönemde Rey şehrinde yaşanan siyasi gelişmeler kategorize edilerek kronolojik olarak ele alınmıştır. Çalışmada birinci elden Arapça ve Farsça kaynakların yanında konu ile ilgili ikinci kaynaklara müracaat edilmiştir.

Becoming invisible: The effect of triangulation on children's well-being.

The study explored children's experience of triangulation in their families. In all, 15 children aged 11-16 years, who were attending an early intervention family therapy service, participated in the study. The children's understandings and emotional experience of triangulation were explored by comparing their responses to pictures from the Separation Anxiety Test (SAT) and a set of pictures designed for the study depicting a variety of triangulation conflicts in families. An interview regarding the children's personal family experiences of triangulation was also undertaken and clinical information about the children's family contexts was also utilised. Statistical analysis was conducted based on eight of children for whom a full data set was available. This indicated that children showed greater levels of anxiety in response to the triangulation as opposed to the separation scenarios. Qualitative analysis supported this finding and revealed that many of the children felt 'invisible' due to parents' pre-occupation with marital conflict, felt caught in the middle of conflicts and coerced to take sides. Although able to describe their reactions and showing greater negative emotional responses to the triadic pictures, they were not consciously aware of the negative impacts of triangulation on their sense of well-being. Clinical implications are discussed with a focus on encouraging child-centred approaches to family therapy.

Longitudinal Program Evaluation of “Parenting Apart: Effective Co-Parenting”

A program evaluation was conducted of a parent education program for divorcing parents of minor children. Using a retrospective post-then-pre design, 139 participants reported their knowledge before and after the program and their behaviors in the month prior to the program. Two-month follow-up interviews were used to assess behavior change. Results indicated that participants reported both knowledge gain and behavior change. Change in triangulation avoidance behavior (behaviors to keep children out of the middle of conflict) varied as a function of parenting stage. Knowledge gain regarding the impact of divorce and triangulation on children predicted behavior change in triangulation avoidance. Results are discussed, including recommendations for the program evaluated as well as suggestions for other parenting education programs for divorcing parents.

The Differential Impact of Parental Warmth on Externalizing Problems Among Triangulated Adolescents

ABSTRACTTriangulation is a family-wide process in which children are inappropriately involved in interparental conflict, placing them at heightened risk for adjustment problems. A common form of triangulation occurs by parents pressuring their children to take sides, which may result in feelings of being torn between parents. Externalizing behaviors in particular may develop as adolescents feel caught in the middle of conflict and forced to choose a side. However, the nature of the triadic process of triangulation may be impacted by dyadic-level relationships within the family. The authors thus explored how positive parenting processes may alter the relations between triangulation and adolescent externalizing problems. Mothers, fathers, and adolescents (n = 301 families) provided assessments of adolescent externalizing problems, triangulation, and maternal and paternal warmth. Analyses revealed a 3-way interaction among triangulation and maternal and paternal warmth predicting adolescent externalizing problems; child gender also moderated these relations. Among highly triangulated youth, boys displayed increased externalizing problems when both parents exhibited low or high warmth, whereas girls showed increased behavior problems in the context of low maternal but high paternal warmth. These findings indicate the importance of examining the broader family context and gender when considering the impact of triangulation during adolescence.

Books for Summer Reading

One of the attractions of school life is the yearly pause that summer brings. But while that pause gives educators a chance to relax and recover from the day-to-day demands of the school year, it doesn't have to mean idleness. Indeed, for educators, summer is the best time of the year for what we would call independent if we were our own students. In this year's edition of the Kappan's annual Books for Summer Reading, Roger Soder has enlisted some book-loving friends to offer an assortment of ideas for using those lazy summer days to good purpose. Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer breaks the mold of South Africa's racial prejudice in My Son's Story (Penguin, 1991). Gordimer's character development and attention to detail are classic achievements in this account of the evolution of a family in the midst of a revolution. Her capacity to write from multiple perspectives- male or female, black or white - is singular. For a compelling look at the complexity of race relations closer to home, try Lillian Smith's Strange Fruit (1944; Harvest/HBJ, 1992). Smith writes with sheer power of the conflicts arising from differences in race, class, gender, generation, and education. And, true to life, she leaves readers in the middle of conflict, reminding themselves that this story is not contemporary. An unusual and extraordinarily inventive book, The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson (Ivy Books, 1991), follows a strong, gothic tradition of inviting the reader to embrace fear - in this case the fear of true passion and obsession. With a spareness that belies its complexity, this beautifully written tale is as bizarre as a Flannery O'Connor short story and as unusual as Gary Larson's Far Side cartoons. Because it is both genuine and unsentimental, this book took some courage for a contemporary author to write. Brief, brutally honest, and with a blast of irony, Josephine Hart's Damage (Ivy Books, 1991) demonstrates how members of a family that looks quite normal from the outside can unwittingly contrive to injure one another. Using descriptions that border on the spooky, Hart depicts a hero who avoids pain - and so, much of life itself - until a catalytic personality acts on his own and his family's complacence. Hart's sparse prose, a strange combination of the poetic and the clinical, pulls readers along at a fast clip as she seeks a broader view of this landscape of the soul. A classic to be savored like a fine meal is George Eliot's Middlemarch (1874; Norton, 1977). Eliot charts in exquisite detail the pulsing of 19th-century English provincial society, replete with humor and pathos. An imposing piece of work, Middlemarch challenges modern readers but rewards them with an understanding of times past that helps put today's moral questions in perspective. - Sargassa Literatae, a Washington, D.C., reading group whose members are Lynn Barnett, Adell Blankenbaker, Laura Casal, Francie Gilman, Sharon Givens, Bev Hitchins, Mary Jane Klocke, and Marilyn Shorr. At a recent family dinner, my sister, who is deaf and teaches American Sign Language at Gallaudet University, was asked if she would consider having a cochlear implant. Despite all our attempts to convince her of the benefits of hearing, she was adamant not only in her disdain for such a device, but also in her preference for remaining deaf - a perspective difficult for the hearing to grasp. She suggested that we all read The Mask of Benevolence (Knopf, 1992), by Harlan Lane, to enlighten ourselves about her view of cochlear implants. The book provides an in-depth and compelling view of deafness - its history, culture, and politics. Most important, Lane shows how the language and culture of the deaf minority in our society are actively suppressed by the hearing majority - what Lane refers to as the audist establishment - primarily for its own benefit. Arguing against the prevalent view that deaf people are disabled, Lane, a hearing psychologist, makes the cogent argument that the deaf community is both a cultural and a linguistic minority with its own history, heroes, and legitimate language. …

Books for Summer Reading

One of the attractions of school life is the yearly pause that summer brings. But while that pause gives educators a chance to relax and recover from the day-to-day demands of the school year, it doesn't have to mean idleness. Indeed, for educators, summer is the best time of the year for what we would call "independent reading" if we were our own students. In this year's edition of the Kappan's annual "Books for Summer Reading," Roger Soder has enlisted some book-loving friends to offer an assortment of ideas for using those lazy summer days to good purpose. Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer breaks the mold of South Africa's racial prejudice in My Son's Story (Penguin, 1991). Gordimer's character development and attention to detail are classic achievements in this account of the evolution of a family in the midst of a revolution. Her capacity to write from multiple perspectives- male or female, black or white - is singular. For a compelling look at the complexity of race relations closer to home, try Lillian Smith's Strange Fruit (1944; Harvest/HBJ, 1992). Smith writes with sheer power of the conflicts arising from differences in race, class, gender, generation, and education. And, true to life, she leaves readers in the middle of conflict, reminding themselves that this story is not contemporary. An unusual and extraordinarily inventive book, The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson (Ivy Books, 1991), follows a strong, gothic tradition of inviting the reader to embrace fear - in this case the fear of true passion and obsession. With a spareness that belies its complexity, this beautifully written tale is as bizarre as a Flannery O'Connor short story and as unusual as Gary Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. Because it is both genuine and unsentimental, this book took some courage for a contemporary author to write. Brief, brutally honest, and with a blast of irony, Josephine Hart's Damage (Ivy Books, 1991) demonstrates how members of a family that looks quite normal from the outside can unwittingly contrive to injure one another. Using descriptions that border on the spooky, Hart depicts a hero who avoids pain - and so, much of life itself - until a catalytic personality acts on his own and his family's complacence. Hart's sparse prose, a strange combination of the poetic and the clinical, pulls readers along at a fast clip as she seeks a broader view of this "landscape of the soul." A classic to be savored like a fine meal is George Eliot's Middlemarch (1874; Norton, 1977). Eliot charts in exquisite detail the pulsing of 19th-century English provincial society, replete with humor and pathos. An imposing piece of work, Middlemarch challenges modern readers but rewards them with an understanding of times past that helps put today's moral questions in perspective. - Sargassa Literatae, a Washington, D.C., reading group whose members are Lynn Barnett, Adell Blankenbaker, Laura Casal, Francie Gilman, Sharon Givens, Bev Hitchins, Mary Jane Klocke, and Marilyn Shorr. At a recent family dinner, my sister, who is deaf and teaches American Sign Language at Gallaudet University, was asked if she would consider having a cochlear implant. Despite all our attempts to convince her of the benefits of hearing, she was adamant not only in her disdain for such a device, but also in her preference for remaining deaf - a perspective difficult for the hearing to grasp. She suggested that we all read The Mask of Benevolence (Knopf, 1992), by Harlan Lane, to enlighten ourselves about her view of cochlear implants. The book provides an in-depth and compelling view of deafness - its history, culture, and politics. Most important, Lane shows how the language and culture of the deaf minority in our society are actively suppressed by the hearing majority - what Lane refers to as the "audist establishment" - primarily for its own benefit. Arguing against the prevalent view that deaf people are disabled, Lane, a hearing psychologist, makes the cogent argument that the deaf community is both a cultural and a linguistic minority with its own history, heroes, and legitimate language. …

Neo-Humanitarianism: The Role of International Humanitarian Norms and Organizations in Contemporary Conflict

The circumstances and nature of humanitarianism have changed in recent years. The traditional ideals of neutrality, impartiality, and independence have become myth. Rather than being at the margins of conflict, humanitarianism is now e mbedded within contemporary conflict. States use humanitarian norms and actors for their own ends, frequently as a response international pressure intervene in conflicts. Such actions, as well as those on the part of international humanitarian organizations and other nonstate actors, have altered the terrain of humanitarian action. KEYWORDS: armed conflict, humanitarianism, international humanitarian organizations, NGOs, norms. ********** On 7 October 2001, about two hours after the United States started bombing Afghanistan, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated that one of the six goals of the military operations was to provide humanitarian relief Afghans suffering truly oppressive living conditions under the Taliban regime. (1) Given the fact that the Bush administration had portrayed the conflict with the Taliban and Al-Qaida as a fight for national, and indeed civilizational, survival, why would Rumsfeld feel it necessary, or even desirable, include the seemingly unrelated issue of humanitarian relief as one of the major goals of the war? What I would like suggest is that global humanitarian action, and discourse over such action, has become such an increasingly visible feature of international relations that it has insinuated itself into a variety of political and operational situations. In fact, humanitarian norms have become so important that they force their way into the general discourse of war and peace. Furthermore, humanitarianism has become an extremely valuable public relations tool. Thus, a U.S. secretary of defense finds it useful use humanitarianism justify waging war in a remote corner of the world (from the perspective of the United States) and, in fact, may have felt normative pressure do so. In this article, I argue that because of the changing nature of conflict, and other broad changes in international relations, we are entering an era of what I call neo-humanitarianism, which is characterized by the embeddedness of humanitarianism within, rather than at the margins of, contemporary conflict. It is distinguished by the explicit manipulation of humanitarianism for political or military gain on the ground in a conflict or as a substitute for political and military action. As a result, international humanitarian organizations (IHOs) (2) have found themselves being manipulated by a wide range of actors in the middle of conflict. At the same time, they have participated in this transformation of humanitarianism. The main questions be addressed in this article are: Why is neutral humanitarianism increasingly becoming a fiction? Why do states turn humanitarian actors? What are the implications of state reliance on humanitarian actors? What are the effects on these organizations and on humanitarian action more broadly? How do IHOs affect the conflict environment? What role do humanitarian norms play in conflict today? One of the main humanitarian actors is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Traditional theory would suggest that such an organization, being part of an intergovernmental body, would simply carry out the wishes of the larger state-based body and, further, that it could have no independent effects itself. However, Michael Barnett and Martha Finnemore, who look at the creation and role of international governmental organizations (IGOs) from sociological bureaucratic and constructivist perspectives point out that bureaucracies frequently do not do exactly what their originators intended them do. We accept this when discussing, for example, domestic foreign policy bureaucracies but still seem have a blind spot when it comes international bureaucratic actors. …

Program Planning in War-Torn Palestine

Planning continuing education programs for professionals was a fairly straight-forward task for me--one that I had done for 20 years. It was not until I was confronted with road closures, military clashes, and guns pointed in my face and those of my [U.S.] consultants that I questioned my role and responsibilities as a program planner and how they changed when situated within a global context. The purpose of this article is to summarize my experiences providing continuing professional education for law professors in West Bank and Gaza as Second Intifada raged. The Second Intifada, an armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, spread throughout West Bank and Gaza, severely limiting our project activities. Security and road closures prohibited travel for professors and students, so solution was to bring U.S. consultants to campuses to teach research skills to professors and their students. My greatest challenges were finding alternate ways to transport consultants to campuses in middle of conflict, adjusting schedules, and keeping consultants safe. This meant I had to reach outside my realm as an experienced Mid-Western program planner to make sure that the show must go and to keep consultants alive. As a result, not only did everyone survive, but show did go on, students learned how to conduct research, and I learned how to be a flexible program planner. The Role and Responsibility of a Program Planner in Palestine Program planning has always come easy for me since I am a details kind of person. My role and responsibilities as a program planner in Chicago were always clear to me: to plan and present a program with adult learner in mind and involved. I made sure that speakers used adult education principles when delivering curricula and evaluating program, and made adjustments based on evaluation. By time I was in Palestine in 2000 and 2001, I had reviewed about 20 program planning models over years and had embraced Caffarella's (1994) program planning ideas, Sork and Caffarella's (1989) program planning model, and studied Cervero's (1985) work on continuing professional education. As a program planner, I agreed to take in context of organization and to understand center of power structure. Andragogy was a word I often used, and I thought Knowles (1980) had a good working program planning model. But planning programs in Chicago was one thing. I thought about my studies and experience in May 2001 while parked at top of a garbage heap that was being used as a road bypass outside Biet El (an Israeli settlement) in West Bank, and looking at my apartment in Ramallah in near distance, about one--quarter of a mile away. I was in trouble. I knew I needed to get my U.S. consultant, Ralph Ruebner, a law professor from John Marshall School of Law, Chicago, back to Ramallah safely. Ralph had just delivered a workshop on legal research to law students in Bit Zeit University. The only problem was that we couldn't use main road, because members of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were shooting at student demonstrators on main road and all other roads were dosed. Our only way home was to drive over garbage heap, across a boulder that had been moved into a ditch, through an olive grove, and around an unpaved mountain road. I wondered what a good program planner would do now. My Experience For situation in West Bank in 2001 during Intifada, I had to be flexible in my program plan--really flexible! I was forced to take a shortcut across Judean Desert in our Chew with Ralph, All Abu Ali--my Palestinian assistant--and find yet another alternative way home. As we waited for taxis and trucks to cross in front of us, I wondered, what would Sork and Caffarella (1989) recommend now? Did Knowles (1980) have a good solution? I was considering my awesome responsibility to keep Ralph alive when IDF drove up in their Jeep and tore out our only passage to get back to Ramallah. …

Planning Under New Federalism Coping with Conflicting Roles

Abstract Planners involved in administering local programs funded by the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program are often confronted with a dilemma: they are expected to coordinate the activities of line agencies in the interests of better management, yet they also serve as a link to citizens groups and formal citizen advisory boards which may resist efforts at making local administration more rational. Case studies discussed herein show a number of responses planners have and can make to this dilemma. Evidence suggests that planners must develop a strategy to avoid being caught in the middle of conflicts between citizens and line agencies.