Conflict Peace Research Articles

Key Aspects of Combined Thinking of the brics Countries on the Responsibility to Protect

This article analyses the key aspects of the brics countries’ joint position on the ‘responsibility to protect’ (R2P) concept, as well as the degree of their influence on transforming R2P into a global norm. The author’s aim was to answer the following questions: What interconnection is there between the brics and R2P discourses? How can brics stimulate an alternative interpretation of the R2P idea? In terms of cross-border partnerships, is R2P-based cooperation possible within the brics framework, and are states ready to expand it in the future? brics member states have demonstrated several common approaches to R2P, including their reliance on mechanisms strengthening the role of the state, their support for the UN position on peaceful conflict settlement, and preventive diplomacy.

The role of Ottoman ulema in peaceful conflict resolution

The Ottoman central government attempted to improve its control over the distant regions of the empire in the nineteenth century with the help of the ulema. The ulema had deep networks in rural communities and profound influence on Muslim subjects. They thereby played a leading role in maintaining public order in the provinces. They used their influence to achieve compromises, integrate different elements of society, and prevent riots, turmoil, anarchy and conflict, thereby allowing the government to peacefully manage many conflicts within society. In this respect, the ulema’s effect on conflict resolution processes and their occasional partnership with official authorities and society will constitute the content of this article. In other words, this article will try to demonstrate the importance and influence of the Ottoman ulema during the reform period by showing how they helped to extend the central government’s authority in distant regions of the empire, where its management capacity had been weak.

Narrativas colectivas: Estrategias pacifistas identificadas por familias provenientes del conflicto armado desde espacios comunitarios, familiares y educativos

Narrativas coletivas: Estratégias pacifistas identificadas por famílias provenientes do conflito armado em espaços comunitários, familiares e educativos é parte da pesquisa Narrativas Coletivas de Paz e Conflito Armado a partir das Vozes de Crianças da Primeira Infância, Famílias e Agentes Relacionais no Quadro Pós-Conflito/Pós-Acordo. A metodologia da pesquisa é baseada em uma abordagem epistemológica hermenêutica ontológica política ou hermenêutica performativa. O artigo visa destacar as ferramentas identificadas de ações pacíficas por parte das famílias a partir de narrativas coletivas em espaços e redes comunitários e educativos.

Local Business, Local Peace? Intergroup and Economic Dynamics

The field of “business for peace” recognizes the role that businesses can play in peacebuilding. However, like much of the discussion concerning business in conflict zones, it has prioritized the view of multinationals, often overlooking the role of indigenous local firms. The economic, social, and intergroup dynamics experienced by local businesses in conflict zones are understudied, with the current paper beginning by positioning micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) in the peacebuilding debate, then engaging with multidisciplinary works to understand how they foster peace. Through a case study set in north Lebanon, we conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-three MSE owners in one industry who operate across sectarian divisions and with recently displaced Syrian refugees. Our findings indicate that local business activity can simultaneously promote peace and foster conflict, with peacebuilding improved when intergroup differences are reduced within the operating environment. Furthermore, the importance of economic development was elevated for local businesses, suggesting that peace through mechanisms such as social development, the rule of law, and training, is only achieved if economic needs are alleviated through these measures. We conclude by citing how contextual factors in conflict zones can enhance intergroup differences, and how resolving such factors can promote peacebuilding, with further empirical work needed in this area.

Flouting International Law; The Future of International Mediation

The establishment of the United Nations in 1945 was a major step towards the promotion of international harmony and peaceful conflict resolution. The UN charter, the Geneva Convention and several conventions in this regard helped strengthen the legitimacy of international law and subsequent international mediation. International law, providing the rules of conduct for inter-state relations, is a viable tool for international mediation. However, due to the unequal distribution of power at the international level, there has always been a disregard towards international law by major powers and that has been a major challenge and its effective implementation. The real challenge lies in bringing a transformation in the international legal structure for effective conflict resolution. This paper will attempt to critically evaluate the structural drawbacks and lack of efficiency of the international institutions regarding peaceful conflict resolution and mediation while putting forth recommendations for the betterment of international mediation to promote international peace.

La mediación como estrategia de resolución de conflictos pacífica en el ámbito escolar

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la mediación como estrategia de resolución de conflictos pacifica en el ámbito escolar. Metodológicamente el desarrollo de este trabajo, se llevó a cabo mediante una investigación de tipo documental y diseño bibliográfico, la técnica consistió en el análisis documental o contenido. Las fuentes ubicadas fueron de carácter documentales, tales como bibliográficas, hemerográficas o archivísticas; la primera se basó en estudios sobre la teoría de conflicto. En conclusión, la incorporación de la mediación escolar como estrategia de resolución de conflictos en el ámbito escolar, necesitará de un compromiso, así como nivel de implicación importante a todos los miembros de la comunidad educativa; comenzando por el equipo directivo, profesores, alumnado, los padres y el personal no docente.

The danger of words: major challenges facing Myanmar journalists on reporting the Rohingya conflict

Due to the fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Rohingya militant group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in August 2017, hundreds of thousands of stateless Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh. The Myanmar Army was accused of committing torture, atrocities, arson and gang-rapes against the Rohingya Muslims during its operations to wipe out the ARSA. When covering this conflict, Myanmar journalists faced criticism from international media and monitoring groups that most of their stories were one-sided and lacked multiple voices. To discover which barriers have impeded Myanmar journalists in their reporting, I conducted in-depth interviews with 17 reporters and editors from 10 media outlets and also drew from my own experiences during 14 years as a Myanmar journalist. The analysis of interviews showed that journalists faced restricted access to the conflict area, limited cooperation from the government and the army, pressures from local Rakhine people, difficulty accessing Rohingya Muslims, barriers in the verification processes, personal safety concerns, and ethical dilemmas. The results suggested that as long as freedom of press is restrained and safety of messengers is threatened, journalists will find it hard to practice peace journalism or conflict sensitive journalism to the fullest. In addition, as previous studies on conflict reporting suggest, this study also revealed that some journalists favored what they believed to be in the national interest whenever they found themselves in an ethical dilemma.

Peran Farid Husain dalam Perdamaian Aceh

This study concerns the process of resolving the Aceh’s conflict and the role of one of the leaders in Aceh's peace, Farid Husain. The purpose of this study is to examine and to discuss the history of the resolution of the Aceh’s conflict, and the role of Farid Husain in Aceh peace In collecting the data, this study uses historical and descriptive analytical methods. The method of data collection is through three methods, namely observation, interview and documentation study. The results showed that during the conflict in Aceh, very much effort was made by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to resolve the Aceh’s conflict, starting from the reigns of President Soekarno, Suharto, BJ, Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Soekarno Putri, to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Government and Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla who became the solution to the peaceful conflict in Aceh through intensive direct dialogue between facilitated by the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). Farid Husain was one of the people involved in the Aceh peace process who played a role in opening communication with GAM leaders and working behind the scenes to supply information about Aceh and GAM in the interests of the Indonesian peace team in resolving the Aceh conflict through peaceful means. The results of the study also found that the Aceh peace process was collectively carried out by various parties, not involving one actor, one of which was Farid Husain who played the role of To See The Actor, also involving various other figures including the Acehnese leaders themselves.

Perceptions of shared morality as an important socio-psychological mechanism for finding the common ground

When we think of human history, it is easy to conclude that violent conflicts are unavoidable. Furthermore, in remembering history, we usually recall violent times and are less likely to remember peaceful societal change. Given the way we remember our history, it is easy to lose sight of the existence of peaceful conflict resolutions or other positive societal changes. The Polish Round Table Talks (RT) that took place in 1989 at times of growing political and economic instabilities serve as an example of peaceful and effective negotiation between two opposing and, one might argue, exclusive ideologies. These talks resulted in an agreement between the Communist government of Poland and the opposition movement Solidarity and paved the road towards the present, democratic and independent Polish state. In this commentary I am going to extrapolate some important socio-psychological mechanisms in the light of contributions made by Janusz Reykowski and Janusz Grzelak - both social psychologists. More specifically, I would like to discuss a specific perception of the other negotiating partner that was activated, formed and maintained during the negotiation, which facilitated the successful outcome. I will argue that the perception of shared morality (perceptions of similarity between the in-group and the out-group on the dimension of morality) was an important socio-psychological mechanism that enabled a stream of other positive psychological processes such as development of trust, as well as cooperative and common-oriented goal tendencies.

Using Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia to predict the outcome of the dissolution of states: factors that lead to internal conflict and civil war

AbstractDuring the process of the dissolution of countries, there exist multiple critical junctures that lead to the partition of the territory, where the different groups cannot find a consensus on who rules and how to organize the government. The outcome of these crossroad decisions and political dynamics, who are often set-up centuries ago, either lead to conflict or relative peace between the nations and peoples who express opprobrium towards each other. The most recent cases of the divorce of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia have many similitudes and are therefore appropriate to attempt to theoretically analyze the essential difference between these two types of partitions. The Yugoslav situation led to War between the nations of Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia and Serbia, with an estimated 140,000 citizens of the former Yugoslav Republics killed, while the Czechoslovak case led to an innocuous settlement of differences and the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who joined the European Union ten years later and saw zero casualties.It is worthwhile to study the relationship between the dissolution of states and conflict using the Czechoslovak and Yugoslav cases for three main reasons. First, the similitude of the two instances enables one to identify variables that bring the outcome of having either peaceful relations or conflict between divorcing nations. Second, it is possible to compare the opposing disposition of variables with other countries that faced dissolution at one moment in history. Third, the sources and research for the two events are extensive, but very seldom put into conflict, since the causes for dissolution in both instances seem patent and explicit, contrasting significantly in scope and depth. This paper may be an occasion to disprove the notion that unworkable forces were at play here and demonstrate that the situation could have skewed in either direction, even though those structural forces are what lay the groundwork of the situation devolving into conflict.

English

The study, Conspicuously Absent: Women’s Role in Conflict Resolution and Peace Building in Northern Uganda in the Context of United Nations Resolution 1325. The research was carried out in war ravaged Acholi sub region covering the districts of Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Pader because they are located in the centre of Northern Uganda conflict between the Government and the rebels commonly known as the Lord’s Resistant Army (LRA). The main objective of the study was to locate women in conflict situations and assess their contribution. The study methodology is qualitative and builds upon a review of related literature, oral interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions with men and women who participated in the study. The major research finding reveals that women played a big role in peace building and conflict resolution, but their involvement remained unrecognized. Worst still, the northern Uganda women appeared not linked with the growing number of women led initiatives internationally, nationally and sub-national levels. The lack of recognition of women’s roles makes women invisible actors in peace processes taking place in northern Uganda. The study concludes that including women in the formal peace process, while not a goal in itself, is symbolic and significant step in the promotion of women’s justifiable participation in peace building and conflict transformation processes. The study makes recommendations to enhance women’s capacity to contribute to peace processes formally and informally. Key words: Conflict mitigation, conflict resolution, gender, resolution 1325, peace-building, Lord’s Resistant Army (LRA), sub- region.

Sleep, bark, or bite: Do natural resources make the difference regarding peaceful or violent conflict?

Natural resources can create state-based and other conflicts through several causal mechanisms. Debate, however, has remained silent on forms of conflict, especially why violent or peaceful collective action occurs. Combining the literatures on nonviolent- and armed conflict with work on the resource–conflict link, we developed a number of hypotheses on how resources affect the conditions under which collective actors such as ethnic groups remain dormant, voice grievances peacefully or engage in violent rebellion. A grid-cell analysis of ethnic groups in Africa largely confirmed our expectation on the effect of resources. Resource deposits increased the risk that violent conflict would occur; the effect was reversed and ethnic groups become dormant when groups living in resource regions were politically included. We also found some evidence that lootable resources fuel violent but not peaceful conflict. However, the non-resource context best explained the difference between violent and nonviolent conflict. Democracy, political exclusion and geography such as distance from capital and transborder ethnic kin were key in explaining why violent and not peaceful protest emerged. Future research should dig deeper into mechanisms of how resources affect forms of conflict and should further study non-resource conditions that can have functionally equivalent effects.

Entangled suffering and disruptive empathy: The Holocaust, the Nakba and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Susan Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin

Discussions of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict are rarely far from the topic of the Holocaust, often taking the form of competitive victimhood, as supporters of both sides politicize the memory of the genocide for their political gain. In her 2010 novel Mornings in Jenin, Palestinian–American Susan Abulhawa interweaves a Palestinian narrative of history – including the Nakba, that is, the destruction of historical Palestine in 1948, the ongoing conflict and the Israeli occupation – with Holocaust memory. By acknowledging rather than minimizing or denying the Israelis’ cultural trauma, she takes a stance of empathy, which researchers consider a prerequisite for peaceful conflict transformation. I contend that Mornings in Jenin exemplifies how cultural texts not only provide a space to explore how new mnemonic links are being drawn up against contested and reified national narratives in Israel/Palestine but also play a political role by performing a narrative that acknowledges the cultural trauma of the other side.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (Unscr 1325) and The Challenges of Women Participation in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Nigeria: Critical Analysis

In 31 October, 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted and signed SC Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security. Resolution 1325 recognizes that civilian, particularly women and children are the worst affected by conflict. Resolution 1325 call for women participation in conflict prevention and resolution initiative, the integration of gender perspective in peace building, peace keeping mission and the protection of women in regions of conflict. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peace keeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction; stressing the importance of equal participation in peace and security. In Africa, women participation in policy making, peace building and conflict resolution is still faced with setbacks despite the passing of the SCR 1325 two decades ago. Findings from this study has shown that, women have been subjected to domination by men as a result of persisting cultural stereotypes, abuse of religious and traditional practices, patriarchal societal structures in which economic, political and social power are dominated by men while women played the role of followers of male decision-makers. The study identifies such challenges for a change or reforms them. The paper reviewed many of the extant studies on the role and potentials of women in peace building and conflict resolution. Analyzing those challenges inhibiting the participation of women in peace process. The paper adopted the qualitative approach whereby data collected from secondary sources were reviewed, explained and analyzed within the purview of the study. The paper conclude, the views that bringing women into the peace process, as participation of women makes it sustainable and reduces possibility of inadequate outcome or failure of the entire process, may be an illusion. Unless the women are economically and politically empowered, as one of the outstanding equality of peace-makers or negotiators is the amount of political and economic influence they possessed. Only elite centric gender blind composition of negotiation and peace process team cannot ensure sustainable peace process as there could be no peace with one side so disadvantaged.

A Muslim Contribution to International Relations Theory: Aman (Peaceful Co-Existence and Mutual Respect) Theory

In the last ten years, the world has witnessed much debate on new forms of the global phenomena of fundamentalism and extremism. It is clear that many view Muslims as “the other” or outsider and vice-versa; an attitude of “us and them”, “our community and their community”. The concept of a ‘clash of civilisations’ has become part of our everyday vocabulary. The objective of this article is namely to develop the theory of Aman (peaceful co-existence and mutual respect) as a Muslim contribution to normative considerations in international relations theory. It is found that the main four components of this theory are: the methodology of Tadafu’ (counteraction), the concept of Adil (justice), the principle of not excluding others, and the constructive argumentation methodology. The theory has been tested and implemented by examining, in particular, Umar Assurance of Aman and the negotiations between Salah al-Din and King Richard I ‘the Lionheart’ of England over Islamicjerusalem in 1191. It is hoped that this theory could help place Muslim contributions in the epitome of global discourse of international relations theory, set the scene to advance the current research on the Muslim contributions to international relations theory including peace study and conflict resolution, and open up and promote intellectual and academic debate and understanding of this Muslim contributions to shed light on new lines of explanation. Although Islamicjerusalem is the most delicate issue of dispute between the current two conflicting parties, it is hoped that this theory will provide a better understanding for the world leaders who are trying to return peace to the region.

Developing cognitive complexity and value pluralism within prevention curricula:: An empirical assessment of the Living Well with Difference course for secondary schools in England

Purpose: To promote gains in cognitive complexity (measured by integrative complexity, IC) associated with recognition of validity in others’ viewpoints/values, supporting peaceful conflict reduction. Design: Assessment of effectiveness of Living Well with Difference (LWWD) course designed to promote critical thinking about contested social issues. LWWD was delivered to 199 secondary school students in England, comprising eight hours of sessions in curriculum time. Findings: Results using Paragraph Completion Tests showed that IC increased in the intervention condition in comparison to the smaller control condition IC gains. Resilience scores did not show significant gain, although it correlated moderately with IC gain. Research Limitations: Unequal numbers of control: intervention groups, non-random school sample, and a moderate amount of missing data are potential limitations. Practical Implications: The discussion explores the possible contribution that LWWD can make to citizenship education and ‘deep’ critical thinking that engages with emo-tions and values, complementing prevention curricula in the light of EU recommendations.

Loose Coupling in Curriculum Reforms: Rural Teachers´ Perceptions of Peace Education in Post-Conflict Colombia

Previous research has shown how peace education (PE) mutates according to socio-political and curricular/didactic traditions, but we still need to know how PE disseminates at the school level. We surveyed teachers from 12 rural schools of the violent Amazon region of Colombia where a national Law made PE mandatory in schools and universities. Teachers working on schools affected by the armed conflict have high expectations about PE. Respondents identified PE with 21 didactic elements: (a) Approaches: values education, citizenship education, critical pedagogy; (b) Pedagogical principles: diversity and pluralism. (c) Learning processes: peaceful conflict resolution, promotion of a “life project”, political participation. (d) Topics: justice, human rights, nature preservation, culture preservation, school bullying, historical memory or peace treaties´ history, “risk prevention”. (e) Pedagogic means: “games”, multimedia, “recreation”, and social projects. (f) Teaching methods: action research and moral dilemmas. Teachers also have opposing views about the history of PE. We could not find a systematic pattern of responses about the pedagogical principles or theoretical sources of inspiration of PE. We discuss the differences between present PE reforms and the previous tradition related to classical education that promoted moral, historical, and political capacities linked to school subjects in the context of post-conflict societies.

평화적 갈등관리방식의 유용성에 관한 연구 : 신고리 원전 5·6호기 공론화사례를 중심으로

본 연구는 신고리 원전 5·6호기 공론화과정을 중심으로 공공갈등을 해결하는데 공론화방식이 유용한가를 분석한 논문으로서 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 신고리 원전 공론화 활동사례를 통해 나타난 약점요인은 원전 일시 중단에 따른 경제적 손실과 다수결에 의한 공론화의 기술적 한계를 꼽을 수 있으나 운영주체의 중립성과 참여자의 대표성, 토론과정 에서의 공정성과 숙의성이 십분 발현된 강점요인으로 인해 갈등관리방식으로써의 유용함이 입증됐다. 둘째, 공론화방식을 통한 공공갈등해결을 위한 환경적 위협요인으로 ‘공론조사 만능주의’에 대한 우려와 국론분열에 따른 사회통합을 저해할 여지가 있는 것으로 분석되었다. 그러나 공론화시스템의 제도화를 통해 갈등관리시스템을 위한 토대를 마련할 수 있고, 직접·참여민주주의의 확대 가능성이 제고될 기회요인이 큰 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 참여민주주의 국가의 갈등관리방식으로 국민적 참여를 통한 대화와 타협의 숙의적 공론화방식은 유용하고 합리적인 방식이라 판단된다.

Hard Truths: The Importance of Teaching Race in Introductory American Government and Politics for Undergraduates

Watson earned his B.A. in religious studies from the College of William and Mary in 1995, his M.A. in international peace studies and conflict resolution from the University of Notre Dame in 2001, and his M.A. and doctorate in political science from the University of New Mexico in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Research interests include the politics of race and ethnicity, domestic and global health inequalities, national health care systems, and public health policy. His dissertation explored how the historical legacies of racism, specifically anti-miscegenation laws once common across the U.S., may indirectly impact modern-day racial disparities in infant mortality rates.

The Chinese Perspective on Conflict Resolution in the Gulf

The Middle East has been in a state of turbulence, poor governance and inadequate development for a long time. The Gulf remains stable, although it is caught up in various regional disputes. It is a major task for both the international community and regional countries to consider how to effectively resolve these conflicts, promote regional governance and eventually achieve the long-term stability of the Gulf and the entire Middle East. China, with its commitment to peace, development and cooperation, is cautiously participating in reforming the Middle Eastern governance system. It is devoted to building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future of humankind, albeit in a prudent manner; it highlights being an important promoter of peace, stability and industrialisation in the Middle East; it also engages in peace talks and conflict resolution in an incremental manner. China is putting the concept of peaceful development and mutual benefits into practice and helps the Middle East to embark on a new road of comprehensive reform, but so far it lacks specific scenarios and concrete roadmaps for peace in the Gulf. It also stresses interconnectivity and amity via interaction, but the Gulf conflict resolutions still have a long way to go. This paper explores Chinese principles in resolving regional conflicts from the aspects of history, politics, development, security and civilisation, and forecasts what hurdles China may face on the road to playing a bigger role.