CMRAI-C3: Conflict Transformation §

Class: IS404 Created Time: October 19, 2021 2:08 PM Database: Class Notes Database Last Edited Time: December 14, 2021 2:14 PM Type: Lecture

Chapter 3: Conflict Transformation §

• Conflict Management: to negotiate agreement, not implement yet
• Conflict Transformation: transforming how parties see the conflict and restructure perceptions between the conflicting parties, how they see each other.
  • Mid-term or long-term process of conflict resolution
  • Tool to promote constructive change to remove conflict nature, root cause of the conflict

From Management to Transformation §

• Conflict Transformation as attitudinal change
• Conflict Transformation as institutional transformation
  • to change structure of society to fulfil basic need of people
• Challenge: Overcome the challenge of lacking good will and commitment to build agreement
• To Avoid: Oppressing protests destory trust and remove freedom and autonomy
• To: treat misrepresented groups equally, help people affected by the violence & conflict

Challenges to Transformation §

1. Some interests are non-negotiable (zero-sum) that can only be resolved through violence and one winner
   • Powerful states might not make concession for their confidence in winning
   • Solution: have them see the potential risks and costs
2. Lingering bad emotions can rise up and restart the conflict
3. If the interest incompatibility is too large its hard to transform
   • concessions are less likely
4. The extent to which one party perceives another’s gain as own’s loss
5. Difficulties in additudinal and motivational change:
   • What are those difficulties?
   • Solutions: Promoting: socio-cultural activities (encourage women, artist, societal groups) to transform and rebuild communal relations

Multiple Dimentions of Transforming Conflict Dynamics §

Variables that could influence shifts in transformation of conflict

1. Transformation needs new inter-party relations (election/politics), new emerging context or enemy
   • Why do they need a new enemy?
2. A series of events could bring the conflict closer to resolving or breaking out
3. The pattern and level of interaction between enemies, strategies they use
4. Psychological readiness: tiredness of continueing fight, readiness to offer concession ⇒ possibility of negotiated settlement
5. Reciprocal Efforts of both parties to reach agreement

Perceptional and Motivational Change §

• Motivation can be optimism (for successful settlement) and pessimism (fear of cost)

Perceptional and Motivational Change can come from:

1. Psychological conditioning: if won/lost ⇒ change in power dynamic ⇒ $\updownarrow$ desire to seek negotiated settlement

   💡 Ex: French withdrawal from Indochina colonies led France to losing WW2.

2. Even with no attitudinal change, recalculation of cost and likelihood of victory can change motivation

3. Psychological exhaustion & economic devastation is perceived too costly than any victory could bring

4. Psychological transformation is done by

   • making pessimism stronger for continuing conflict
   • making optimism clear for peace and cooperation

Readiness for De-escalation §

• Which party is willing to conceed first/more from perception & motivational incentives (tiredness)
  • If one party conceed enough that the other party is interested, it could lead to a discussion
• External intervention could help convince parties to discuss
  • One party believes it could win, but external party could change thier calculation
• One side concession isn’t enough, both sides are needed

Condition for Relationship Change §

• Recognition of political legitimacy of adversary’s representative

  • when excluded groups is recognized as legitimate in conflict: there could be change

• Acknowledgement of adversary grievances

• When pursuing one’s interest requires cooperation of adversary, it might be worth it to combind together as one again instead of fighting

  💡 Ex: Cambodia merging with Khmer Rouge to stop fighting and rebuild country.

Sources of Relationship Change §

• External parties could bring in new interests and worsen the conflict and relations
• 1:25:52

Feature of Actor Transformation §

• new Institutional Arrangement could change organization of society and state and psychological change
• Perpatrators integrated in society during a negotiation could be brought to justice later in court (ex: pol pot)
• Internal changes in a major party could change war (Demise of USSR ended Cold War)

References §

1. CMRAI - Conflict Management and Resolution An Introduction