http://crinfo.beyondintractability.

org/c101/#1U
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co!irectors and "ditors
Beyond Intractability Version II
#00$#00% &he Beyond 'ntractability (ro)ect
c/o Conflict *esearch Consortiu+, Uni,ersity of Colorado
Conflict 101 What EVERYONE Should
no! about Conflict
"n Online Course fro# Beyond Intractability and CRInfo
$he Conflict Resolution Infor#ation Source
What this Program Is:
&his is a collegele,el course built on the Beyond 'ntractability and C*'nfo -Conflict *esolution
'nfor+ation .ource/ 0ebsites. &he course focuses on things everybody should 1no0 about
conflict: 0hy it occurs, ho0 it can be beneficial, and ho0 to +anage it so that it is beneficial
and not har+ful.
&his course is a spinoff fro+ another course 0e ha,e been teaching for se,eral years called
2!ealing Constructi,ely 0ith 'ntractable Conflicts.2 3s the na+e i+plies, that course focuses
on ,ery longlasting conflicts that are difficult to resol,e 4 international conflicts such as
'sraeli/(alestinian relations, and do+estic conflicts o,er highly contentious issues such as
abortion and gay +arriage.
Ho0e,er, a lot of the +aterial in that course is also rele,ant to +ore 2ordinary2 conflicts 4
parents arguing 0ith their 1ids about beha,ior proble+s, spousal disagree+ents, 0or1place
tensions, and so on. &his course is designed to focus +ore on conflicts of that 1ind than on the
,ery difficult international ones, although 0e ha,e not entirely cut out the intractable +aterial,
as fa+ily, 0or1place, and co++unity conflicts can, indeed, be ,ery intractable5 'n addition,
the principles that apply to 'sraelis and (alestinians also apply to conflicts bet0een identity
groups in this country: bet0een blac1s and 0hites, funda+entalist Christians and gays 4
although, 0e hope, to a lesser degree5 &herefore, rather than re0riting these essays to
eli+inate all the references to international conflicts, 0e ha,e tried to supple+ent those
illustrations 0ith do+estic illustrations, or sho0 ho0 the ideas apply in both the do+estic and
international conte6ts.
3bout half of the +aterial is theoretical, co,ering topics such as:
&he nature and causes of conflict
&he costs and benefits of conflict
&he dyna+ics of conflicts
Ho0 conflicts end
&he other half of the +aterial is +ore practical, co,ering such 7uestions as:
Can conflict be a,oided8 'f so, ho08
Ho0 -and 0hy/ does one do a conflict assess+ent8
Ho0 does one deal 0ith conflict in a constructi,e 0ay8
Ho0 can co++unication escalate 4 and deescalate 4 conflict8
Ho0 can one negotiate effecti,ely8
9hat 1inds of assistance and inter,ention are a,ailable for dealing 0ith conflict
-+ediation, for e6a+ple/8
Ho0 do these different types of inter,ention 0or18
Ho0 does one decide 0hat approach to ta1e8
Ho0 does one find assistance if one needs it8
Who is this Program For?
&his progra+ 0ill be of interest to college students -both ad,anced undergraduates and
graduate students/, people 0ho deal 0ith conflict a lot in their )obs -teachers, +anagers,
health care pro,iders, etc./, parents 0ho 0ant to do a better )ob of dealing 0ith their 1ids or
spouses, or anyone 0ho 0ants a better understanding of 0ays of dealing 0ith conflict.
Course Requirements
&his progra+ consists of 10 units, a,eraging about :0 pages of online reading each. ;or those
0anting +ore infor+ation, se,eral thousand pages of supple+ental +aterial and about 100
hours of online audio are also accessible in the full Beyond 'ntractability and C*'nfo syste+s.
.tudents are as1ed to ans0er a fe0 7uestions at the end of each unit, generally re7uiring a
0ritten response of about #$ pages. <ost of these 7uestions can be ans0ered based on the
readings and bac1ground 1no0ledge alone, although a fe0 +ay ta1e additional online reading
to in,estigate the current status of a particular conflict. .tudents +ay also participate in an
optional online discussion, in 0hich they are encouraged to relate 0hat they are learning to
ongoing current e,ents.
How Long Does this Program Take?
&his progra+ is one course, about e7ui,alent in 0or1load to a threese+esterhour, upper
di,ision college course. &hat +eans that 0e e6pect students to de,ote about 1#0 to 1=0 hours
to the co+pletion of the course. >ou +ay choose to 0or1 fullti+e -in 0hich case you could
co+plete the course in a +onth/, or you +ay ta1e up to a year to co+plete the 0or1.
What Credit Do I Get?
.tudents 0ho co+plete the 0or1 satisfactorily -or better/ get a 2letter of co+pletion2 fro+
C*'nfo, indicating that they ha,e co+pleted the progra+ in a satisfactory -or better/ +anner.
&he letter describes the +aterials co,ered and the 0or1 done. 'f a participant does e6ceptional
0or1, that 0ill be noted in the letter as 0ell. It should also be noted that this is NOT a
mediation course, and does not satisfy any requirement for mediation training. It
also is not a "certificate program," and is not formally accredited by the University
of Colorado.
Who Teaches the Course?
Heidi Burgess, (h.!., and Guy Burgess, (h.!., are the pri+ary instructors, and they are
assisted by their graduate students. &he Burgesses are codirectors of the Beyond
'ntractability pro)ect, as 0ell as the Uni,ersity of Colorado Conflict *esearch Consortiu+,
0hich they founded -0ith others/ in 1?@@. 3s a tea+, they ha,e been doing research, 0riting,
and teaching on intractable conflicts for about t0enty years, 0ith an e+phasis on
international, intergroup, ,aluebased, and en,iron+ental conflicts. &hey ha,e also been
leaders in the field of 'nternet disse+ination of conflict resolution infor+ation, ha,ing designed
and codirected C*'nfo: &he Conflict *esolution 'nfor+ation .ource, the Anline &raining
(rogra+ on 'ntractable Conflicts -the predecessor to this progra+/, and the Ci,il *ights
<ediation Aral History (ro)ect.
How uch Does the Course Cost?
&he cost for the course is B#=0 -U.!/, 0hich pays our instructors to carefully re,ie0 and
co++ent on your assign+ents. .ince all of the course +aterials are freely a,ailable online,
ta1ing the course for free as selfstudy is also an option.
How Do I Register?
Anline registration ,ia credit card 0ill be a,ailable soon. 'n the +eanti+e, you can register for
Conflict 101 by +ailing a chec1 or +oney order -or international +oney order/, +ade out to
2Conflict *esearch Consortiu+,2 to:
Heidi Burgess
Conflict *esearch Consortiu+
=@0 UCB
Uni,ersity of Colorado
Boulder, CA @0$0?0=@0
U.3
3long 0ith your registration fee, please send us your na+e -e6actly as you 0ould li1e it to
appear on your Cetter of Co+pletion/, e+ail address, postal address, and any bac1ground
infor+ation on yourself that you thin1 0e should 1no0. >ou can also send this infor+ation ,ia
e+ail, to the address listed belo0. Ance 0e recei,e your registration fee, 0e 0ill send you an
e+ail confir+ing your registration.
What I! I Ha"e #uestions?
;eel free to contact !r. Heidi Burgess 0ith any 7uestions or concerns that you +ay ha,e about
the Conflict 101 course, but please be sure to include 2Conflict 1012 in the sub)ect line of all
correspondence. !r. BurgessD e+ail address is:
Course %nits
Unit ': Understanding Conflict: &he Basics
Unit '': &he (sychology of Conflict
Unit ''': *elationships in Conflict
Unit 'E: Co++unication 'ssues
Unit E: (o0er 'ssues
Unit E': Cultural 'ssues
Unit E'': "scalation and !e"scalation .trategies
Unit E''': Fegotiation
Unit 'G: 9hen Fegotiation 3lone !oesnDt 9or1
Unit G: &he &hird .ide
$n%ine Discussion
Note fro# &r' (eidi Bur)ess*
Before you start the units, consider signing up for the online discussion. Right now, I am using
the same online discussion for five courses, to increase the number of participants. All the
courses are based on Beyond Intractability, but are focused at different levels, and, to some
extent, have different readings. So you will all be coming to the discussion with somewhat
different knowledge, and of course, different backgrounds and interests. But I am hoping that
an interest in the topic of conflict in general and a knowledge of current events will be enough
to make the discussion relevant to everybody. o sign up for the online discussion, go to the
discussion sign!up page. After you sign up, you can click through to the discussions, read the
instructions, and go for it" I look forward to #talking to you# there, as well as within the
assignments.
%nit I
%nderstandin) Conflict* $he Basics
%nit Ob+ecti,es* &he ob)ecti,e of this unit is to teach you to distinguish bet0een 2conflicts2
and 2disputes,2 learn 0hy the distinction +atters, and e6a+ine the costs 4 and benefits 4 of
conflicts and disputes on indi,iduals, organiHations, co++unities, and societies.
%nit Re-uire#ents*
9riting 3ssign+ent: ;or this unit AFC>, the 0riting assign+ent co+es first 4
!"O#! you do the reading.
*eading and listening -all a,ailable online/
Writin) "ssi)n#ent*
&a1e out a piece of paper. -!oes this sound li1e your 0orst night+are fro+ grade school8 't
0onDt be that bad./
(art 1a: 9hen you thin1 of the 0ord 2conflict,2 0hat other 0ords do you thin1 of8
9rite the+ do0n 4 at least 10 of the+, +aybe e,en #0.
(art 1b: &hen as1 $ other people to do the sa+e thing 4 0ithout sho0ing the+ your
-or anyone elseDs/ list.
(art #: Fo0 go to your co+puter. &ype all the 0ords onto one big list and then sort it
into t0o colu+ns. Ane colu+n 0ill ha,e 0ords indicating good thingsI the other bad things
4 or at least notsogood things. ;or e6a+ple: 2.ports2 +ight be a good thing 0hen you
thin1 of conflict, 0hile 20ar2 is a bad thing. Ho0 +any of the 0ords you and your
co+patriots ca+e up 0ith 0ere 2good2 0ords8 Ho0 +any 0ere 2bad2 0ords8 -(ut the su+
of each at the botto+ of your t0o lists./
(art $: &hen ans0er the follo0ing 7uestions and send all this in for your Unit '
assign+ent. -3i+ for #=0=00 0ords for (art $./
1. 9hat does this tell you about ho0 you 4 and your friends 4 ,ie0 conflict8
9as there a noticeable difference bet0een people8
#. 9hat do you thin1 this +ight +ean8
$. Ho0 does your ,ie0 of conflict affect ho0 you thin1 about it and engage in it8
;or this assign+ent -and all others/, sa,e your responses in a file 4 preferably <icrosoft 9ord
or Corel 9ord(erfectI if you use a different 0ord processor, try sa,ing as a .t6t or .rtf file.
.end the file as an attach+ent in an e+ail to !r. Burgess.
%nit I Readin) and .istenin)*
A1ay, no0 it is ti+e to start the readings. 9hen you do the readings 4 all of the readings in
this unit and the others 4 you 0ill note that so+e of the essays ha,e a bo6 at the right that
says 2co++ents: listen/read.2 e sure to clic$ on this bo% and listen to the person or
people tal1ing and&or read the transcript for additional infor+ation on the essay topic.
.o+eti+es there are )ust one or t0o audio co++entsI so+eti+es there are 7uite a fe0. 'f
there are lots, you +ay not ha,e ti+e to listen to the+ all, but they tend to 2bring life2 to the
readings, so 0e encourage you to listen to as +any as you can. 3ll of these fol1s are leaders
in the field of conflict resolution fro+ around the 0orld, tal1ing about their areas of e6pertise.
Cistening to their ,oices 0ill really bring these ideas ali,e for you in 0ays that the reading
alone cannot do.
3nother note: 9hile +ost of the re7uired readings are either theoretical or practical -ho0to/
essays, so+e are 0hat 0e call 2personal reflections2 and/or case studies 0ritten about real
conflict situations. .ince real situations are not nice and neat, they often 0onDt trac1 perfectly
0ith the other readings. But again, they are +eant to illustrate ho0 ,alues and conflict affect
real people in real life, and, 0e hope, they also 0ill help to bring this course to life.
3 final note: &here are CA&. and CA&. of lin1s and additional readings in each of these
essays. These are totally optional. ;ollo0 the+ as your interests and ti+e allo0.
.o, onto the readings...
&hese essays introduce you to so+e of the +ost basic ideas and ter+s in the conflict
resolution field. (lease read these essays and listen to -or read/ at least so+e of the audio
co++ents associated 0ith the+ as 0ell.
Conflicts and !isputes
Conflict scholars +a1e a critical distinction bet0een shortter+ disputes and deep
rooted, longter+ conflicts. Cearn 0hy conflicts and disputes are so co++on, and 0hy
conflicts are so +uch harder to resol,e than disputes.
9hat 3re 'ntractable Conflicts8
3lthough this course pri+arily addresses the sort of 2regular conflicts2 that 0e all deal
0ith all of the ti+e, it see+s that 0e in 3+erica -and else0here/ are also
encountering difficult, see+ingly intractable conflicts +ore and +ore -U./'ra7,
abortion, gay +arriage, the 2redblue di,ide,2 etc./ &his essay discusses 0hy so+e
conflicts beco+e intractable, and, ,ery briefly, 0hatDs to be done about that.
Causes of Conflicts and !isputes
!isputes are generally caused by +isunderstandings or conflicts of interests, 0hile
conflicts are caused by +ore deeprooted differences 4 o,er ,alues or funda+ental
hu+an needs, for e6a+ple. &his essay re,ie0s the co++on causes of both.
Costs of Conflicts and !isputes
3lthough the costs of so+e conflicts 4 the 'ra7 0ar, for e6a+ple 4 are ,ery e,ident
-to those 0ho pay attention, at least/, the costs of other conflicts, such as fa+ily
conflicts or 0or1place conflicts, are often hidden and o,erloo1ed. &his essay discusses
so+e of the psychological, sociological, and econo+ic costs of interpersonal and
organiHational conflicts, as 0ell as briefly touching on the costs of largerscale conflicts
such as the 0ar in 'ra7.
Benefits of Conflicts and !isputes
Conflict is change. 9ithout it, attitudes, beha,iors, and relationships stay the sa+e,
regardless of 0hether they are fair. 3lthough conflict is often understood as so+ething
negati,e, this essay e6plores its +any benefits.
Conflict .tages
<ost conflicts go through a series of stages, 0hich +ay or +ay not occur in order.
&hey often start as latent conflict 4 proble+s bre0ing, but not yet erupted. &hey then
e+erge, escalate, deescalate and are resol,ed 4 so+eti+es per+anently, so+eti+es
te+porarily until they e+erge or escalate again. &his essay describes the stages, and
lin1s to +ore detailed essays on each stage. -&hese detailed essays are optional./
Conflict 3ssess+ent
Conflict assess+ent is the first stage in the process of conflict +anage+ent and
resolution. 't begins by clarifying participantsD interests, needs, positions, and issues,
and then engages sta1eholders to find solutions. Understanding 0hat is in,ol,ed in 4
and then doing 4 at least a si+ple conflict assess+ent is essential for anyone 0anting
to resol,e any but the si+plest dispute successfully.
.ettle+ent, *esolution, <anage+ent, and &ransfor+ation: 3n "6planation of &er+s
&hese refer to four different goals for approaching 4 and perhaps ending 4 a conflict
or dispute. 9hile these ter+s are fre7uently considered to be synono+ous, they
actually refer to ,ery different philosophies and approaches to conflict, and result in a
considerably different end state.
Back to $nit %isting
%nit II
$he /sycholo)y of Conflict
(sychology is deeply intert0ined 0ith conflict 4 both as a cause and an effect. 9hen people
are afraid or angry or distrustful, this tends to contribute to conflict escalation, and at the
sa+e ti+e, conflicts can cause people to beco+e afraid, angry, and/or distrustful. &he sa+e is
true 4 though usually to a lesser degree 4 in disputes. &he follo0ing essays in,estigate the
interaction bet0een psychological factors and conflicts/disputes.
"+otions
Fegotiation theory often assu+es that people in conflict beha,e rationally, but
e+otional factors also play a large role in peopleDs attitudes and beha,iors. &his essay
e6a+ines the i+portance of these e+otional factors in both conflict assess+ent and
response.
3nger
3nger can be constructi,e, but is +ore often destructi,e. &his essay e6a+ines the
interplay bet0een anger and conflict and discusses 0hen and ho0 anger should be
+anaged.
;ear
;ear is both a cause and a conse7uence of both ,iolent and non,iolent conflicts. 't
certainly +a1es conflict resolution +ore difficult.
Guilt and .ha+e
9e feel guilty for 0hat 0e do. 9e feel sha+e for 0hat 0e are. Both lead to and are
caused by conflict.
;ace
2;ace2 refers to selfestee+. 9hile it is of +ore i+portance in so+e cultures than
others, no one, in any culture, li1es to loo1 2stupid,2 or to be +ade fun of. Ci1e the
other pyschological factors here, face 4 loss of or sa,ing face 4 can effect conflict in
both positi,e and negati,e 0ays.
%nit II "ssi)n#ent*
Choose a dispute or conflict that has affected you deeply. 't can be a personal one 4 a fight at
0or1 or in the fa+ily 4 or a +ore public one that you care about deeply 4 the 0ar in 'ra7,
abortion, gay rights, 0hate,er. 'n $: pages, e6a+ine ho0 e+otions played a role in that
conflict and 0hat 0as done -or +ight ha,e been done/ to harness these e+otions in a +ore
positi,e 0ay.
Back to $nit %isting
%nit III
Relationshi0s in Conflict
*elationships 4 good and bad 4 are a 1ey to disputes, conflicts, and their resolution. &hese
essays e6a+ine relationship issues 4 the good and the bad.
!a+aged or !estroyed *elationships
(eople on opposite sides of a longrunning conflict tend to distrust or e,en hate each
other. &his ta1es an e+otional toll on both parties and pre,ents the+ fro+ 0or1ing
together in the future.
<anaging 'nterpersonal &rust and !istrust
&rust has often been praised as the 2glue2 that holds relationships together and
enables indi,iduals to pool their resources 0ith others. Unfortunately, 0hen conflict
escalates to a dysfunctional le,el, trust is often one of the first casualties.
!istrust
!istrust can result in a selffulfilling prophecy, 0here e,ery +o,e another person
+a1es is interpreted as e,idence that he/she cannot be trusted. 9hen the other
person reciprocates this senti+ent, there is +utual distrust that further fuels the
escalation of conflict.
&rust and &rust Building
&rust co+es fro+ the understanding that hu+ans are interdependent, that they need
each other to sur,i,e. &hird parties can atte+pt to use this insight to pro+ote trust
bet0een disputing parties.
*espect
&reating people 0ith respect is 1ey to conflict transfor+ation. 9hen they are denied
respect or are hu+iliated, people tend to react negati,ely, creating conflicts or
escalating e6isting ones.
Conflict &ransfor+ation
<any people belie,e that conflict happens for a reason and that it brings +uchneeded
change. &herefore, to eli+inate conflict 0ould also be to eli+inate conflictDs dyna+ic
po0er. 'n transfor+ation, a conflict is changed into so+ething constructi,e, rather
than being eli+inated altogether.
3pology and ;orgi,eness
Ane po0erful 0ay to +end relationships after conflicts and disputes is through apology
and forgi,eness. &hese are t0o sides of the +ultifaceted 2dia+ond2 of reconciliation.
&hough often s1ipped -for a ,ariety of reasons/, both are necessary for true
reconciliation to ta1e place.
%nit III "ssi)n#ent*
Choose 3FA&H"* dispute or conflict that has affected you deeply. 't can be a personal one 4
a fight at 0or1 or in the fa+ily 4 or a +ore public one that you care about deeply 4 the 0ar
in 'ra7, abortion, gay rights, 0hate,er. 'n $: pages, loo1 at the relationship issues in,ol,ed
in this conflict. 9hat relationships ha,e been da+aged8 Ho08 9hat can be done to repair
the+8
Back to $nit %isting
%nit IV
Co##unication Issues
Co++unication is also 1ey to conflicts and disputes, and li1e e+otions and relationships, the
interaction goes t0o 0ays. Co++unication proble+s tend to lead to or e6acerbate conflict,
0hile good co++unication is essential to its resolution. &hese essays e6plore both issues.
'nterpersonal / .+all.cale Co++unication
*obert Juillen 0rote, 2!iscussion is an e6change of 1no0ledgeI argu+ent an
e6change of e+otion.2 &his essay e6plains 0hy interpersonal co++unication often
brea1s do0n and ho0 to +a1e it +ore effecti,e.
Channels of Co++unication
'n escalated conflicts, parties often cease co++unicating altogether, or they ignore
each other, assu+ing the other is biased or si+ply 0rong. Apening channels of
co++unication is an i+portant first step in conflict +anage+ent or resolution.
<isunderstandings
For+al con,ersations al+ost al0ays in,ol,e +isco++unication, but conflict see+s to
0orsen the proble+. ",en if the +isunderstandings do not cause a conflict or dispute,
they can escalate one rapidly once it starts.
"+pathic Cistening
*ichard .ale+ 0rites, 2' spent long hours learning to read and 0rite and e,en had
classroo+ training in public spea1ing, but ' ne,er had a lesson in listening or thought
of listening as a learnable s1ill until ' entered the 0orld of +ediation as an adult.2 &his
essay tries to re+edy that situation.
'<essages and >ou<essages
'+essages can be a useful tool for defusing interpersonal conflict. &his essay
describes ho0 they can be used, their benefits, and their proble+s.
!ialogue
'n the conflictresolution sense, dialogue is a strategy used to e6plore deep differences
that are not li1ely to be easily resol,ed or ignored. 'n dialogue, the intention is not to
ad,ocate but to in7uireI not to argue but to e6ploreI not to con,ince but to disco,er.
&his essay introduces the concept of dialogue, discusses 0hy it is needed, and
suggests 0ays to do it effecti,ely.
%nit IV "ssi)n#ent*
&ry using e+pathic listening and '+essages in real discussions -t0o different discussions/.
&hen 0rite up a 1# page su++ary for each -t0o different su++aries/, e6plaining 0hat you
did and ho0 it 0ent. 9hat did you learn8
Back to $nit %isting
%nit V
/o!er Issues
(o0er is another 1ey factor in all conflicts and disputes, although it +ay not be e,ident or
o,ertly utiliHed. 't also is not as onedi+ensional as +any people thin1. Aftenti+es 0e assu+e
that the rich, strong, and 0ellconnected people are the ones 0ith po0er, 0hile the rest of us
are relati,ely po0erless. 'f 0e understand the different sources and types of po0er, ho0e,er,
0e learn that it is not nearly that si+ple. 9e all ha,e po0er 4 if 0e 1no0 ho0 to find it and
use it effecti,ely.
(o0er
'f po0er 0ere onedi+ensional, 0e could agree on 0ho has +ore and 0ho has less.
Ho0e,er, 0e are often surprised 0hen a see+ingly less po0erful party holds a +ore
po0erful party at bay. &his essay discusses both potential and actual po0er, the for+s
po0er can ta1e, and its role in causing and sol,ing conflicts.
Coerci,e (o0er
9hen they thin1 of 2po0er,2 +any people thin1 of coercion 4 the ability to force
people to do 0hat you 0ant by threatening the+ 0ith o,er0hel+ing force. &his is,
indeed, one for+ of po0er, though there are others. &his essay discusses the pros and
cons of using coerci,e po0er and the for+s that such po0er can ta1e.
*e,enge and the Bac1lash "ffect
<ost people hate to be forced to do things against their 0ill. Using threats often
produces such a large bac1lash that +ore proble+s are caused than sol,ed, as this
essay e6plains.
Fon,iolence and Fon,iolent !irect 3ction
Ane for+ of coerci,e po0er that is less li1ely to spa0n re,enge is non,iolent direct
action. &his is action 4 such as stri1es, boycotts, +arches, or de+onstrations 4 that
is usually underta1en by a group of people in an effort to persuade so+eone else to
change their beha,ior. &hough so+eti+es considered 20hi+py2 or 2co0ardly,2
non,iolence can actually ta1e a great deal of courage and be a ,ery strong tool of
persuasion.
"6change (o0er
.i+ply, e6change po0er +eans that 2' do so+ething for you in order to get you to do
so+ething for +e.2 Ho0e,er, this si+ple concept has for+ed the basis for ,ery
co+ple6 hu+an interactions. 't also for+s the basis of all negotiation.
'ntegrati,e (o0er
'ntegrati,e po0er is the po0er that binds hu+ans together. Kenneth Boulding calls it
2lo,e2 or, 2if that is too strong,2 he says, 2call it respect.2 &hough seldo+ studied or
discussed, Boulding argues that it is the strongest for+ of po0er, especially because
the other t0o for+s -e6change and coerci,e po0er/ cannot operate 0ithout integrati,e
po0er too.
(ersuasion
(ersuasion is the ability to change peopleDs attitudes largely through the s1illful use of
language. <artin Cuther KingDs %etter from a Birmingham &ail is a classic e6a+ple of
persuasion.
(o0er 'ne7uities
(lutarch 0rote, 23n i+balance bet0een rich and poor is the oldest and +ost fatal
ail+ent of all republics.2 &his essay deals 0ith the po0er ine7uities that ha,e e6isted
in al+ost all hu+an societies.
"+po0er+ent
.aul 3lins1y 0rote, 2' tell people to hell 0ith charity, the only thing youDll get is 0hat
youDre strong enough to get.2 &his essay discusses 0hat e+po0er+ent is, ho0 it can
be acco+plished, 0ho should do it, 0hen, and 0hat the outco+es +ight be.
Eoice
&hose 0hose ,oices are +ost often silenced include 0o+en, children, +inority groups,
indigenous peoples, and the poor. &his essay e6plains the i+portance of ha,ing a
,oice, 0hether it is through ,oting, holding office, or ha,ing a seat at the negotiating
table.
Capacity Building
'n order to negotiate effecti,ely, parties so+eti+es need to build their o0n or othersD
capacity to respond to their situation effecti,ely by building 1no0ledge, pro,iding
resources, or both. &his is one of se,eral 0ays to build oneDs po0er.
Fet0or1ing
&his essay describes ho0 net0or1ing can be used to build relationships and e+po0er
indi,iduals and groups to confront difficult conflicts +ore effecti,ely.
Coalition Building
Coalition building is the +a1ing of alliances or coalitions bet0een indi,iduals, groups,
or countries 0ho cooperati,ely 0or1 together to reach a co++on goal. 't is yet
another 0ay to increase a personDs or groupDs po0er.
3cti,is+
&his essay discusses 0ays that disputants can -and do/ address conflicts in
constructi,e 0ays through acti,is+.
.ocial <o,e+ents
.ocial +o,e+ents are groups of indi,iduals 0ho co+e together around an issue to
bring about -or resist/ change.
%nit V "ssi)n#ent*
Go bac1 to the dispute or conflict that you discussed in Unit '' or ''' -or you can choose
another one, but that 0ill be +ore 0or1 because youDll ha,e to e6plain it to +e/. 'n $: pages,
e6plain 0hat sources of po0er the pri+ary parties ha,e and 0hat po0er strategies
-integrati,e, coerci,e, or e6change/ 0ere used by 0ho+. 3lso, 0hat other po0er options
+ight be used in this circu+stance8 9ould these be helpful or har+ful8
Back to $nit %isting
%nit VI
Cultural Issues
Lust li1e all the other broad topics discussed so far, culture is ine6orably intert0ined 0ith
conflict on all le,els. 'f one defines 2culture2 broadly to not only +ean ethnic differences, but
0orld,ie0 differences bet0een -for e6a+ple/ +en and 0o+enI children and adultsI labor and
+anage+entI la0yers and nonla0yersI nurses, doctors, and patientsI funda+entalist
Christians, Le0s, <usli+s, and BuddhistsI it beco+es clear that cultural differences are all
around us. &hese essays discuss ho0 these differences can lead to disputes and conflicts 4
and, as al0ays, ho0 these conflicts can be constructi,ely addressed.
Culture and Conflict
(eople fro+ different cultures often ha,e such radically different 0orld,ie0s that 0hat
see+s li1e co++on sense to one side is anything but sensible to the other. !ifferent
cultures and 0orld,ie0s can lead to co+pletely different understandings -or 2fra+es2/
of a conflict, +a1ing resolution a challenge.
Cultural and 9orld,ie0 ;ra+es
Conflict is ine6tricably bound up 0ith 0ho 0e see oursel,es to be and 0hat +eaning
0e +a1e of the 0orld. <any conflicts occur 0hen people feel their identities or
0orld,ie0s are threatened.
CrossCultural Co++unication
",en 0ith all the good 0ill in the 0orld, +isco++unication is li1ely to happen,
especially 0hen there are significant cultural differences bet0een co++unicators. 3s
"d0ard &. Hall 0rites, successful crosscultural co++unication re7uires 2reorganiHing
MourN thin1ing...and fe0 people are 0illing to ris1 such a radical +o,e.2
Co++unication &ools for Understanding Cultural !ifferences
3 continuation and elaboration of the pre,ious essay, this essay describes ,arious
things that are i+portant to 1no0 and address if one is to be successful at cross
cultural co++unication.
<ediation and <ulticulturalis+
'n this essay, the author discusses his e6periences 0ith +ulticultural +ediation and
suggests 0ays that +ediators can a,oid +isunderstandings.
%nit VI "ssi)n#ent*
Go to: http://000.+ediate.org/pg$$.cf+. &his is a list of +o,ies put together by our friends
at C!* associates. .croll do0n to the section on Gender/Class/'ntercultural/*acial !ifferences
and Conflict. Choose one of these +o,ies, rent it, 0atch it, and 0rite #: pages about ho0
culture affects the conflict-s/ in the +o,ie and ho0 these issues are dealt 0ith.
Back to $nit %isting
%nit VII
Escalation and &e1Escalation Strate)ies
2"scalation,2 Guy Burgess says, 2is the +ost po0erful force in the uni,erse.2 He +eans in the
social uni,erse of course 4 it canDt beat gra,ity or nuclear forces 0hich hold +olecules
together 4 but it can lead to the se,ering of nuclear bonds in the for+ of nuclear 0ar5 &hese
essays discuss the danger 4 and also the possible benefits -in so+e circu+stances/ 4 of
escalation and 0hat can be done to ensure that it is only used safely and 0isely under
controlled conditions.
!estructi,e "scalation
&his introductory essay discusses escalation, e6plaining 0hat it is, 0hy and ho0 it
occurs, and 0hy it is so dangerous.
(olariHation
(olariHation is closely lin1ed to escalation. Aften as escalation occurs, +ore and +ore
people get in,ol,ed, and they ta1e strong positions on one side or the other.
2(olariHation2 thus refers to the process in 0hich people +o,e to0ard e6tre+e
positions -the 2poles2/, lea,ing fe0er and fe0er people 2in the +iddle.2
Constructi,e "scalation
!espite the dangers of escalation, disputants often intentionally escalate conflicts.
(arties generally do this 0hen they feel their needs are being ignored. &his essay
e6a+ines the ris1s and benefits of tactical escalation and offers suggestions on ho0
the ris1s can be +ini+iHed.
Ci+iting "scalation / !eescalation
&his is the first of se,eral 2solution2 essays. &his introductory essay describes 0ays to
pre,ent escalation in the first place, and strategies for deescalating disputes and
conflicts if pre,ention didnDt 0or1.
CoolingAff (eriods
"scalation can so+eti+es be slo0ed or stopped by calling for a shortter+ 2cooling
off2 period, during 0hich ti+e all the parties stop engaging and step bac1 to loo1 at
the situation and consider ho0 they +ight be able to proceed +ore constructi,ely.
"scalationCi+iting Canguage
&his is language 0hich can a,oid escalation in the first place, or di+inish it once it has
occurred.
(re,enting 'nterpersonal Eiolence
&his essay e6a+ines 0hat can be done to pre,ent ,iolence at the interpersonal, s+all
group, and co++unity le,el -as opposed to the international le,el/. &he pre,ention of
fa+ily ,iolence, gang ,iolence, and ,iolence in schools are e6a+ples of topics
considered in this essay.
%nit VII "ssi)n#ent*
Choose either the dispute or conflict you discussed in Unit '' or ''', or the +o,ie you discussed
in Unit E'. Ho0 0as escalation e,ident in this situation or +o,ie8 Ho0 0as it dealt 0ith8 -'f
none of these situations e6hibited escalation, choose another conflict that does and use that
one for this #: page assign+ent./
Back to $nit %isting
%nit VIII
Ne)otiation
Fegotiation +ight be considered the 2core2 or 2baseline2 dispute resolution strategy. Aften
done 0ithout +uch thought in daytoday situations -such as 0hen 0e discuss 0hat to ha,e
for dinner or 0hat +o,ie to see/, it can also beco+e ,ery co+ple6 and longlasting, as unions
negotiate labor contracts, or businesses negotiate per+its 0ith go,ern+ent agencies. &hese
essays discuss the 2nuts and bolts2 of negotiation.
Fegotiation
Fegotiation is bargaining 4 it is the process of discussion and gi,eandta1e bet0een
t0o or +ore disputants, 0ho see1 to find a solution to a co++on proble+. &his
o,er,ie0 essay discusses basic strategies and tactics of negotiation.
'nterests, (ositions, Feeds and Ealues
Understanding the differences bet0een these four concepts is essential to effecti,e
negotiation.
Best 3lternati,e to a Fegotiated 3gree+ent -B3&F3/
B3&F3 is a ter+ in,ented by *oger ;isher and 9illia+ Ury 0hich stands for 2best
alternati,e to a negotiated agree+ent.2 3ny negotiator should deter+ine his or her
B3&F3 before agreeing to any negotiated settle+ent.
Oone of (ossible 3gree+ent -OA(3/
&he OA(3 is the co++on ground bet0een t0o disputing parties. &he OA(3 is critical to
the successful outco+e of negotiation, but it +ay ta1e so+e ti+e to deter+ine
0hether a OA(3 e6ists.
9in9in / 9inCose / CoseCose .ituations
&he ter+s, 29in9in,2 29inCose,2 and 2CoseCose2 are basic concepts in dispute
resolution. &hey are ga+e theory ter+s that refer to the possible outco+es of a ga+e
or dispute in,ol,ing t0o sides, and +ore i+portantly, 0hat the i+plications of those
outco+es are.
Co+petiti,e and Cooperati,e 3pproaches to Conflict
&his set of +aterials e6plores these t0o different approaches to conflict and the results
of pursuing one or the other.
Co+pro+ise
3 co+pro+ise is a solution to a +utual proble+ that +eets so+e, but not all, of each
of the partiesD interests. 9hile co+pro+ise is good for repairing da+aged
relationships, it can also lea,e both parties unsatisfied, prolonging conflict.
*ipeness
3 conflict is said to be ripe once both parties realiHe they cannot 0in, and the conflict
is costing the+ too +uch to continue. &his tends to be a good ti+e to open
negotiations.
*ipenesspro+oting strategies
'f a conflict is not yet ripe, that does not +ean one should abandon efforts at
+anage+ent or resolution. *ather, steps can be ta1en to coa6 the parties to +o,e
to0ard deescalation.
<ost of the negotiation literature focuses on t0o strategies, although they are called by
,arious na+es. Ane strategy is interestbased -or integrati,e or cooperati,e/ bargaining, 0hile
the other is positional -or distributi,e or co+petiti,e/ bargaining. Ca6 and .ebenius 0ere
a+ong the first to argue that actually all negotiations are co+binations of both approaches:
;irst, negotiators try to 2create ,alue2 by 2enlarging the pie2 as +uch as they can. -&his is the
approach ad,ocated by interestbased negotiation./ But ine,itably, the pie 0ill then need to be
di,ided up, 0hich calls for distributi,e negotiation. .o, they clai+ that all negotiation is a
co+bination of creating and clai+ing ,alue, not one or the other as other theorists suggest.
&he last t0o essays discuss the theory of 2ripeness,2 e6plaining 0hen it is and is not ti+e to
negotiate and 0hat can be done to +a1e an 2unripe2 dispute or conflict 2ripe2 for negotiation.
'ntegrati,e or 'nterestBased Bargaining
'n integrati,e bargaining, the parties atte+pt to 2enlarge the pie2 or allocate resources
in such a 0ay that e,eryone gets 0hat they 0ant.
!istributi,e Bargaining
'n distributi,e bargaining, the parties assu+e that there is not enough to go around.
&hus, the +ore one side gets, the less the other side gets.
(ositional Bargaining
&his type of bargaining negotiates fro+ positions, rather than interests. 't is +ore
typical in situations 0here there is a 2fi6ed pie2 to be di,ided up, or 0here both sides
cannot possibly 0in, and hence an integrati,e approach is not possible.
Creating and Clai+ing Ealue
'n any negotiation, the parties decide 0hether to be co+petiti,e or cooperati,e.
Ho0e,er, so+e theorists argue that this is a false dichoto+y 4 that all negotiations
in,ol,e both.
%nit VIII "ssi)n#ent*
!escribe a negotiation. >ou can use one that you 0ere actually in,ol,ed in or 1no0 about, or
you can use an instance fro+ a tele,ision sho0 or a +o,ie. -&he recentlyreleased hank 'ou
(or Smoking is a good one, ' a+ told, as are +any of the ones on the afore+entioned C!*
list/. >ou can e,en use the sa+e +o,ie you used before, but you +ight need to 0atch it
again. 'n #: pages, describe: 9hat are the partiesD positions8 'nterests8 B3&F3s8 Fegotiation
strategies8 !id they use interestbased or distributi,e bargaining8 !id they negotiate
effecti,ely 4 or +ight they ha,e done better8 'f so, ho08
Back to $nit %isting
%nit I2
When Ne)otiation "lone &oesn3t Wor4
.o+eti+es, negotiation alone is not enough to resol,e a dispute. 'n such cases, assistance
can be brought in 4 in the for+ of +ediation, arbitration, or other third party inter,ention, or
other techni7ues that see1 goals other than resolution. &his unit e6plores so+e of those
options.
3lternati,e !ispute *esolution -3!*/
3lternati,e dispute resolution -3!*/ is a ter+ generally used to refer to infor+al
dispute resolution processes in 0hich the parties +eet 0ith a professional third party
0ho helps the+ resol,e their dispute.
;acilitation
;acilitation is a process in 0hich a neutral person helps a group 0or1 together +ore
effecti,ely. Good facilitators can help groups stay on tas1 and be +ore creati,e,
efficient, and producti,e.
<ediation
<ediation is a conflict resolution process in 0hich a third party assists the disputants
to co++unicate better, analyHe their conflicts and their options, and de,elop a
+utually satisfactory solution.
;ra+es, ;ra+ing, and *efra+ing
;ra+es are the 0ay 0e see things and define 0hat 0e see. ;ra+ing can be a
significant i+pedi+ent to conflict resolution, and refra+ing an i+portant part of
finding a solution. Bernard <ayer 0rote, 2&he art of refra+ing is to +aintain the
conflict in all its richness but to help people loo1 at it in a +ore open+inded and
hopeful 0ay.2 &his essay e6plains ho0 that can be done.
3rbitration
3rbitration is a +ethod of resol,ing a dispute in 0hich the disputants present their
case to an i+partial third party, 0ho then +a1es a decision for the+ 0hich resol,es
the conflict. &his decision is usually binding. 3rbitration differs fro+ +ediation, in
0hich a third party si+ply helps the disputants de,elop a solution on their o0n.
3d)udication
3d)udication is a )udicial procedure for resol,ing a dispute. 'n the conte6t of 3!*, it
usually +eans the traditional courtbased litigation process.
Hybrid (rocesses
3 hybrid dispute resolution process co+bines ele+ents of t0o or +ore traditionally
separate processes into one. Hybrid processes are generally used 0hen parties belie,e
a dispute re7uires ele+ents of +ultiple processes and 0hen a practitioner is s1illful
enough to fill t0o roles.
Grie,ance (rocedures
Grie,ance procedures are a standardiHed set of procedures to follo0 0hen so+eone
has a co+plaint or a proble+. &hese are fre7uently used in 0or1place conflicts. 9hen
used effecti,ely, they can significantly reduce the outbrea1 of intractable conflict.
Consensus Building
Consensus building is used to settle conflicts that in,ol,e +ultiple parties and
co+plicated issues. &he approach see1s to transfor+ ad,ersarial confrontations into a
cooperati,e search for infor+ation and solutions that +eet all partiesD interests and
needs.
%nit I2 "ssi)n#ent*
;ind a conflict or dispute that is +a1ing a lot of ne0s. 9rite a #$ page paper that discusses
the follo0ing 7uestions:
1. Ho0 do the different sides fra+e the conflict8
#. 'f you 0ere a +ediator, ho0 +ight you try to get the+ to refra+e it8
$. !o you see a possible role for a third party in this conflict8 9hat 1ind8 9hat +ight
he/she do8
Back to $nit %isting
%nit 2
$he $hird Side
Ane of the best1no0n conflict professionals in the 0orld, Bill Ury, has de,eloped the concept
of 2the &hird .ide,2 0hich goes beyond typical third party roles of +ediation and arbitration to
point out that there are roles that "E"*>AF" can play in disputes and conflicts to help the+
be handled +ore constructi,ely. &his final unit e6plores UryDs 10 third side roles and tries to
encourage you to consider ho0 >AU can beco+e acti,e through one or +ore of these roles in
the disputes and conflicts affecting your life.
&hird .iders
&hird siders act in a co++unity threatened 0ith destructi,e conflict as an i++une
syste+ acts in a body threatened by disease. 3,erage citiHens such as teachers,
)ournalists, artists and police officers can play 1ey roles in pre,enting, deescalating
and resol,ing conflict. Bill Ury has labeled these people 2third siders.2
Bridge Builders
3 relationship operates li1e sa,ings in the ban1I 0hene,er an issue arises, the parties
can dip into their account of good0ill to help deal 0ith it. Bridge building, or the act of
building relationships, ta1es place all around us, so+eti+es 0ithout us e,en percei,ing
it.
<ediators
<ediators get in,ol,ed in a dispute in order to help the parties resol,e it. Unli1e
arbitrators or )udges, +ediators ha,e no po0er to define or enforce an agree+ent, but
they can help the parties to ,oluntarily reach agree+ent.
3rbitrators
3rbitrators listen to the argu+ents of both sides in a dispute and issue a final and
binding decision. 3rbitration is used for cases that either cannot be negotiated, or
0here negotiation has failed.
"ducators
"ducators play a critical role in pre,enting or deescalating conflict. &eaching tolerance
and critical thin1ing and helping to brea1 do0n stereotypes can help disputants
+anage their o0n conflicts +ore constructi,ely.
9itnesses
'n Bloo+ington, 'ndiana, a group called 2<o+s on (atrol2 0al1s the streets 0ith cell
phones, loo1ing out for dangerous gang acti,ity, and reporting it to the police. By
0atching carefully, 0itnesses li1e <o+s on (atrol can pre,ent escalation of conflict
and e,en sa,e li,es. &his essay describes 0hat 0itnesses can do and ho0 they can do
it.
(eace1eepers
9hen ,iolence brea1s out, the co++unity needs to e+ploy +easures to stop har+ful
conflict in its trac1s. &he police and UF peace1eepers can act as peace1eepers, but it
is a co++unity function too. (arents, teachers, and co0or1ers all can be
peace1eepers in their o0n do+ains, as described in this essay.
Healers
Conflict often lea,es deep 0ounds. ",en if a conflict appears resol,ed, the 0ounds
+ay re+ain and, 0ith the+, the danger that the conflict could recur. &he role of the
healer is to restore in)ured relationships.
"7ualiHers
.tronger parties often refuse to negotiate 0ith 0ea1er parties. &his is 0here the
e7ualiHer co+es in. "ach of us is capable of e+po0ering the 0ea1 and the
unrepresented. &his essay discusses the role of the e7ualiHer in conflicts.
*eferees
'f and 0hen people do fight, it is i+portant to reduce the har+. *eferees set li+its on
fighting.
(ro,iders
Conflict usually arises in the first place fro+ frustrated needs, li1e safety, identity, lo,e
and respect. (ro,iders are those 0ho help fulfill such needs.
%nit 2 "ssi)n#ent*
&hird .ide "6ercise:
;ind a conflict in your co++unity 4 one that is in the ne0spaper or one that you 1no0 about.
9hat third side role-s/ +ight you be able to play in this conflict to +a1e it +ore constructi,e8
Briefly describe the proble+ and 0hat you +ight be able to do to address it in a #$ page
paper.
Beyond Intractability Version II
Copyright P #00$#00% &he Beyond 'ntractability (ro)ect
Beyond 'ntractability is a *egistered &rade+ar1 of the Uni,ersity of Colorado
(ro)ect 3c1no0ledge+ents
$he Beyond Intractability no!led)e Base /ro+ect
Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co!irectors and "ditors
c/o Conflict *esearch Consortiu+, Uni,ersity of Colorado
Ca+pus Bo6 =@0, Boulder, CA @0$0?