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September 25, 2020
What is Negotiation?In simplest terms, negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem.This interpersonal or inter-group process can occur at a personal level, as well as at a corporate or...
Intractable conflicts are ones that remain unresolved for long periods of time and then become stuck at a high level of intensity and destructiveness. They typically involve many parties and concern an intricate set of historical, religious, cultural, political, and...
Protracted conflict sometimes results from a clash between differing world-views. One group's most fundamental and cherished assumptions about the best way to live may differ radically from the values held by another group. Parties may have different standards of...
Interests are desires or goals--the things that people want to achieve in a conflict situation. Unlike people's positions--which are simple statements such as "I'm pro-choice" or "I'm pro-life"--which are positions, the interests underlying those position is the...
Discussion Questions: (1) What other ideas from John Paul Lederach have you found to be particularly useful in your work? Put another way, what are his core ideas that have influenced the way you work or think about conflict problems?(2) What other people...
I have been using the phrase "conflict transformation" since the late 1980s. I remember that timeframe because it came on the heels of intensive experience in Central America. When I arrived there my teaching vocabulary was filled with the terminology of conflict...
Taken in its broader sense, justice is action in accordance with the requirements of some law. Some maintain that justice stems from God's will or command, while others believe that justice is inherent in nature itself. Still others believe that justice consists...
The Pyramid[1]Not surprisingly, people often disagree about the most effective approach to building peace within a population. Should peace be built from the top down, or from the bottom up? What roles should the different actors play? John Paul Lederach has answered...
The issue of how to manage and resolve conflict is typically approached as if it is solely or primarily a rational problem. Indeed, most negotiation and mediationtraining focuses on material positions and interests, and looks at the way to get the most for oneself, or...
What is Capacity Building?The terms "capacity building" and "capacity development" are used in numerous contexts to describe a wide array of activities. In the most general terms, capacity consists of a party's ability to solve its problems and achieve its objectives....
Dehumanization Part 1Dehumanization is a psychological process whereby opponents view each other as less than human and thus not deserving of moral consideration. Jews in the eyes of Nazis and Tutsis in the eyes of Hutus (in the Rwandan genocide) are but two examples....
One of the central challenges of deciding how to address intractable conflict is to understand how to respond to their dynamics and complexity. Rather than being surprised by the intricate and quickly changing dynamics of a problem, or being overwhelmed by the...