IS404 Reflection Paper 0 §

Class: IS404 Created Time: October 9, 2021 7:59 PM Database: Assignment Database Last Edited Time: October 12, 2021 12:18 PM Resulting Materials: Reflection_1.docx Status: Done Type: 📑

The chapter begins by defining ‘conflict’ as coming from differences leading to intense violence between multiple parties over incompatible interests. While societal conflicts are solved institutionally, large scale conflicts can cause economic disparities, political oppression, and war. Adversaries patch relations through negotiated agreements, verbal persuasions, removing misperceptions, and minimizing incompatibilities between the parties. The chapter lays out the multiple facets of conflicts such as 1) Incompatible economic/political interests; 2) Imposition of own’s values & religion onto another group with unique history; 3) Un-negotiable party of extremist terrorists with ideology entirely unacceptable to everyone else; 4) A zero-sum struggle forcing a power-based contest. 5) Attack against pride, identity, and emotional security; and 6) the cycle of accumulating hostilities ingrained into nations identities that reinforce further hostilities. Mutually agreeable goals can be achieved through joint analysis of interest and needs under the division, analysis of the failure of the existing relationship, and establishment of a new one. The chapter further elaborate on resolutions and settlement processes. While conflict resolution entirely eliminate the reason to continue fighting, a settlement process only achieve a compromise between the parties, but not removing the core contentious issue. Therefore, a settlement is to diffuse a crisis and temporarily keep economic, social, and political stability, but the core reason could flare up in future conflict. Coercive settlement come from one party is forced through fear or threat to change their behavior and strategies under unfavorable circumstances in short-term acceptance of the outcome that can resurface. For a conflict to be resolved it must meet the requirements of 1) negotiated interest not of basic needs or survival; 2) not being value oriented conflict of freedom or autonomy; and 3) for material interest to be separated from highly emotional or value oriented issues. Conflict resolution should be done through structures such as political and economic incentives for laying down arms and followed up with reintegration of the population, refugees, and rebuilding the economy. The level of violence and nature of the conflict are known challenges to resolutions, but conflict preventive measures and societal restructuring could prevent outbreak or resurgence of new conflicts. Conflicts could be dealt with in a variety of ways: 1) Official Diplomacy Attempts by governments, mediator, and international organizations; 2) Unofficial communications or intermediaries connections; 3) Negotiations to meet goals of both parties or coming to trade-off of different priorities. 4) A third party helping forge mutually satisfying outcomes from free flow of information and open exchange of idea; 5) Arbitration/Adjudication by the International Court of Justice, state courts, or an authoritative third party; and 6) Interactive dialogue to explore and address deep rooted causes of the conflict with citizen groups as nurturing connection between both governments. I learned that conflict settlement is normally not the end of the management of a conflict. Ceasefires and temporary settlements only serves to stop direct conflict and eliminate one portion of why the conflict occurred in the first place. Enemies, especially from conflict involving direct violence, have harder times with friendly relations or rebuilding trust. I also learned that some conflict situations just cannot be settled for a win-win scenario. In cases of extremist, terrorists, or criminals for example, these actors many times have interest that are fixed or unable to be resolved in a win-win situation. Therefore, I’m curious of what the right procedure is in dealing with such actors. I feel that this chapter gave a very detailed and clear introduction to how complex and multi-faceted conflict situations can be, how many different methods there are, how different context require different methods, and what variables matter what what don’t in conflict resolution and settlements.