Understanding Conflict

Beyond Intractability: A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict

Understanding Conflict

	Core Concepts This folder contains the basic information you need to start your study of intractable conflict.
	Causes Intractable conflicts such as the one between Israel and Palestine are rarely just about surface issues such as land or religion. These essays describe some of the common causes underlying many intractable conflicts.
	Costs & Benefits Conflict can cause death, destruction, humiliation, anger and fear. However, conflict is also necessary to change injustice and oppression. This series of essays explore both the painful costs and the many benefits of conflict.
	Dynamics These essays cover the many factors that determine the outcome of intractable conflicts.
	Complexity Many conflicts become intractable because of their sheer complexity. This series of essays explains how complexity theory can be applied to conflict resolution.
	People This series of essays describes the various roles people involved in an intractable conflict can play.
	Development and Conflict The link between developing countries and conflict has frequently been overlooked. This series of essays explores their relationship in depth.
	Power Power takes many forms. These essays look at several different approaches to power including coercive, exchange, integrative and non-violent.
	Culture and Conflict Cultural misunderstandings are one of the main causes of intractable conflict. These essays explore the problem of cross-cultural communication and offer tools for improving cultural literacy.
	Relationships Personal relationships are usually the first casualty of conflict. These essays discuss various relationship problems and how to improve damaged relationships.
	Facts Getting the facts straight is necessary for resolving conflict. However, fact-finding is often much more difficult than it appears.

Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more. -- Oscar Wilde

Featured Links
Organizations Making Noteworthy Contributions to Efforts to Promote More Constructive Conflict

Peace-Tech

Other Resources from
Beyond Intractability

A User's Guide for Third Siders
The Third Side concept was developed by William Ury. Third Siders are people who try to see both sides of a conflict and encourage cooperative solutions, fair fights, and decision making that advocates solutions which meet everyone's interests and needs as much as possible.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Kim Dae-jung
Former President of South Korea, and 2000 Nobel Peace Laureate

Beyond Intractability Version IV
Copyright © 2003-2007 The Beyond Intractability Project
Beyond Intractability is a Registered Trademark of the University of Colorado
Project Acknowledgements

The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors
c/o Conflict Information Consortium (Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado
Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309
Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact