International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   In this essay, the field of conflict analysis and resolution (CAR) is largely discussed in terms of ideas, as expressed in writing about the ways conflicts are conducted and resolved constructively, relying on particular methods of negotiation, mediation, and other processes. The field also may be defined in terms of a set of practices or in terms of the people designated or self-identified as conflict resolvers. Here, CAR is defined by a set of ideas about avoiding, minimizing, and stopping violence that often is mutually destructive. At times, reference will also be made to the other ways of treating the field. There is no universal agreement about the ways of thinking that characterize the field. Even self-identified workers in the field do not all agree about its parameters and particular concepts. Incorporating the word “analysis” in designating the field highlights that this essay is focused on theory and research. Broadly conceived, CAR relates to all domains of conflicts, whether within or between families, organizations, communities, or countries. This essay emphasizes large-scale conflicts, within and among societies. In focusing on the ideas constituting the field, it discusses relevant theory and research, treating CAR as an interdisciplinary social science endeavor within the broad international relations domain. In addition, some attention ... log in or subscribe to read full text