Welcome to GST 222 or GST 202, today we're exploring course note on peace and conflict resolution. Read full handout and summary of this course here.
Peace and conflict resolution gst 222 (full lecturer note).
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What is conflict?
conflicts ripple across borders faster than ever before. From workplace disputes to international crises, the principles you'll learn in Module 1 provide the analytical framework for understanding why conflicts emerge, how they develop, and what can be done about them.
This isn't just theory—these concepts are actively used by diplomats, mediators, community leaders, and peace practitioners worldwide.
The Foundations: What Conflict Really Means
Beyond the Dictionary Definition
Most people think conflict simply means "fighting" or "disagreement." The academic understanding runs much deeper. The word traces back to the Latin confligere—literally meaning "to strike together"—revealing conflict as an inevitable collision when different forces meet.
Think about it this way: conflict isn't inherently negative. It's what happens when different needs, values, or goals intersect. The key lies in how we manage these intersections.
Practice questions on GST 222/ 202 using CBT
How Scholars Define Conflict
Understanding how leading researchers frame conflict will sharpen your analytical skills:
Wright's Distinction (1990): Wright separates conflict from competition by noting that conflicting parties are aware of each other and actively oppose one another. Competitors might not even know their rivals exist, but conflicting parties are locked in conscious struggle.
Kriesberg's Relational View (1973): Conflict exists when parties believe their goals are incompatible. Notice the emphasis on belief—sometimes conflicts persist even when win-win solutions exist, simply because parties can't see them.
Stagner's Behavioral Focus: Conflict occurs when multiple actors want something they believe only one can have, with each side seeing others as obstacles to their goals.
These definitions highlight a crucial insight: conflict often involves perception as much as reality.
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The Four Pillars of conflict (GST 222/202): What causes conflict
1. Resource-Based Conflicts: The Tangible Struggles
These are often the easiest conflicts to spot because you can literally see what's being fought over. Land disputes, budget allocation fights, and territorial conflicts all fall into this category.
Real-world example: The ongoing tensions between farmers and herders across the Sahel region of Africa stem largely from competition over grazing land and water sources—finite resources that both groups need to survive.
Why they matter: Resource conflicts can often be resolved through creative problem-solving, negotiation, or resource expansion, making them somewhat more manageable than other types.
2. Psychological Needs Conflicts: The Invisible Drivers
These conflicts revolve around intangible human needs: recognition, security, respect, identity, and belonging. They're harder to spot but often more intense than resource conflicts.
Consider this scenario: Two department heads at a university might ostensibly argue about office space allocation, but the real conflict could be about professional recognition and status within the institution.
Why they're complex: You can't simply divide psychological needs like you might divide physical resources. Everyone needs to feel respected and valued.
3. Value-Based Conflicts: When Worldviews Collide
These emerge when fundamental beliefs clash. Religious differences, ideological disagreements, and cultural conflicts often have this character.
Historical example: The prolonged conflict in Northern Ireland wasn't just about political control—it involved deep-seated religious and cultural identity differences that shaped how each community saw the world.
The challenge: People will often sacrifice material interests to defend their values, making these conflicts particularly resistant to compromise.
4. Information-Related Conflicts: When Communication Breaks Down
Sometimes conflicts persist simply because parties have different information or interpretations of the same facts. Miscommunication, propaganda, and information manipulation can all fuel conflict.
Modern relevance: Social media echo chambers and "fake news" have made information-based conflicts more common and more dangerous than ever before.
The Theoretical Landscape: How Great Minds Understood Conflict
Marx's Economic Lens
Karl Marx viewed conflict as inevitable in unequal societies. His analysis, while focused on class struggle, offers insights relevant to many modern conflicts:
- Greater inequality leads to greater conflict potential
- Awareness of injustice is necessary for conflict to emerge
- Conflicts tend to become more intense as opposing sides become more organized
Modern application: Marx's insights help explain why rising inequality in many countries correlates with increased social tensions, even when absolute living standards improve.
Weber's Leadership Factor
Max Weber emphasized that conflicts need charismatic leaders to mobilize people. Without effective leadership, grievances might simmer without exploding into active conflict.
Contemporary example: The Arab Spring demonstrations required charismatic figures to transform widespread dissatisfaction into organized political movements.
Dahrendorf's Positive Conflict
Ralf Dahrendorf challenged the idea that all conflict is destructive, arguing that conflict can drive positive social change by exposing problems and forcing adaptation.
Think about it: Labor strikes, civil rights movements, and student protests have all created short-term disruption while pushing societies toward greater fairness.
The Conflict Journey: Understanding How Disputes Evolve
The Six-Stage Model
Conflicts rarely explode overnight. They typically follow a predictable pattern:
Stage 1: Formation (The Warning Signs)
Issues that were previously ignored start causing tension. Watch for changes in communication patterns, increased complaints, or shifts in group dynamics.
Stage 2: Escalation (Lines Are Drawn)
Sides form, positions harden, and communication deteriorates. This is often when conflicts become visible to outsiders.
Stage 3: Crisis (The Breaking Point)
Open confrontation begins. Whether it's a shouting match in a meeting or violence in the streets, this stage involves direct collision between opposing forces.
Stage 4: De-escalation (Running Out of Steam)
Parties begin to tire of the struggle. External intervention might occur, or simple exhaustion might reduce the intensity.
Stage 5: Improvement (Finding Common Ground)
Recognition that dialogue might be preferable to continued struggle. This is when resolution becomes possible.
Stage 6: Transformation (Building Something New)
Root causes are addressed, relationships are repaired, and new systems prevent similar conflicts.
The Reality Check
Not all conflicts follow this neat progression. Some skip stages, others cycle back and forth, and some get stuck at particular points. The model provides a framework for analysis, not a rigid prediction.
Analyzing Conflict: The Detective Work of Peace Studies
The Stakeholder Map
Understanding who's involved in a conflict is crucial for addressing it effectively:
Primary Stakeholders: These are the main parties whose goals seem incompatible. They're the most invested in the outcome and essential for any lasting solution.
Secondary Stakeholders: Affected by the conflict but not directly driving it. They might become primary stakeholders as the conflict evolves.
Interested Stakeholders: They have something to gain regardless of how the conflict ends. Sometimes they're "spoilers" who benefit from continued tension.
Analytical Tools That Work
The Timeline Method: Map out when key events happened from each party's perspective. You'll often find that different sides remember the same events very differently.
The Onion Model:
- Outer layer: What do parties say they want? (Positions)
- Middle layer: Why do they want it? (Interests)
- Core: What do they really need? (Basic human needs)
Force Field Analysis: List all the factors pushing toward and away from resolution. This helps identify where to focus intervention efforts.
Practical Applications: Making Theory Work
For Students like you.
- Use these frameworks to analyze current events
- Practice identifying conflict types in news stories
- Look for the underlying needs behind stated positions in debates.
For Professionals
- Apply stakeholder analysis before entering any negotiation
- Use the conflict stages model to time interventions appropriately
- Consider all four sources of conflict when designing solutions.
For Citizens
- Recognize early warning signs in community disputes
- Understand that most conflicts involve multiple causes
- Look for the human needs underlying political disagreements
Common Misconceptions to Avoid
Misconception 1: "All conflict is bad"
Reality: Conflict can expose problems and drive positive change when handled constructively.
Misconception 2: "Conflicts are always about what people say they're about"
Reality: Surface issues often mask deeper concerns about needs, values, or identity.
Misconception 3: "Smart people don't get into conflicts"
Reality: Conflict is a normal part of human interaction. Intelligence helps in managing conflict, not avoiding it entirely.
Misconception 4: "You can resolve any conflict if you just try hard enough"
Reality: Some conflicts involve genuinely incompatible values or interests and may only be manageable, not resolvable.
Building Your Analytical Skills
Questions to Ask About Any Conflict
- What type of conflict is this? (Resource, needs, values, information, or a combination?)
- Who are the real stakeholders? (Look beyond the obvious parties)
- What stage has this conflict reached? (This affects what interventions might work)
- What are the underlying needs? (Often different from stated positions)
- What forces are driving escalation or de-escalation?
Practice Exercises
- News Analysis: Take a current conflict in the headlines and apply these frameworks
- Historical Cases: Analyze past conflicts to see how these patterns played out
- Personal Reflection: Think about conflicts in your own experience using these tools
The journey toward expertise in peace studies begins with mastering these fundamentals. Take time to really understand them—your future work in building a more peaceful world depends on it.
Remember: The goal isn't to memorize definitions but to develop analytical thinking skills that you can apply to real-world situations. These concepts become powerful when you start seeing them at work in the world around you.
References
Dahrendorf, R. (1959). Class and class conflict in industrial society. Stanford University Press.
Publisher page
Kriesberg, L. (1973). The sociology of social conflicts. Prentice-Hall.
Google Books overview
Van der Dennen, J. M. G. (2005). Conflict: A review of sociological theories of conflict in modern sociology. University of Groningen.
Full text PDF
Weber, M. (1947). The theory of social and economic organization (A. M. Henderson & T. Parsons, Trans.). Oxford University Press.
Reference overview
more materials
Kriesberg, L. (1984). Social theory and the de-escalation of international conflict. In J. Vasquez (Ed.), Handbook of international relations (pp. 483–500). Springer.
PDF excerpt
Kriesberg, L. (2010). Conflict: Phases. In Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace (pp. 403–409). Oxford University Press.
PDF excerpt