CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 2 )
Literature Review
In addressing international conflict management , several theories and approaches are useful to be considered . The scholars of peace studies and peacebuilding over time tried to apply various methods to conflict management / resolution processes , where multiple means and strategies ranging from the peaceful ( i . e ., negotiations , mediation ) to the coercive ( i . e ., sanctions , isolation ), are observed as appropriate tools to achieve the desired outcome of one or both conflicting parties .
Some scholars use conflict management and resolution interchangeably in the same context . Burton defines them as follows , stating that conflict management “ has a wide application , from deterrence strategies to propaganda . Its significant feature is that it is an attempt , usually by the status quo party to the dispute , to avoid escalation of the conflict while maintaining control without giving way ”, while conflict resolution “ seeks to resolve the problem , even though this requires change .” 3
Hence , it is worth understanding what the methods of both conflict management and conflict resolution are . Most of the literature ascribes the same strategies to both . Bercovitch and Regan divide conflict management strategies into two broader categories , taking into account the contextual and actor-specific behavioral factors . The two strategies they offer are different from their means to resolve issues , namely through violent means ( i . e . force , coercion ) and non-violent or peaceful means ( i . e ., negotiation , mediation ). They claim that the selection of the proper tools to manage a conflict depends on the nature and duration of the conflict . Intractable or enduring conflicts utilize a more varied range of conflict management strategies than other disputes . 4
There is extensive discussion of conflict management strategies in George , where the author places conflict management strategies into a broader influence theory and claims that the most common strategies used by multiple states to manage conflicts are the possible use of military force , deterrence and coercive diplomacy . 5 Additionally , economic sanctions ,
3 John Burton , “ The Theory of Conflict Resolution ,” Current Research on Peace and Violence 9 , no . 3 ( 1986 ): 125 . 4 Jacob Bercovitch and Patrick Regan , “ The Structure of International Conflict
Management : An Analysis of the Effects of Intractability and Mediation ,” International Journal of Peace Studies 4 , no . 1 ( 1999 ): 1-19 . 5 Alexander George , “ The Need for Influence Theory and Actor Specific Behavioral
Models of Adversaries ,” in Know the Enemy : Profiles of Adversary Leaders and Their Strategic Cultures , ed . B . Schneider & J . M . Post , ( Alabama : Maxwell Air Force Base , 2003 ), 271-311 .
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