Understanding Conflict: Key Definitions and Perspectives Notes

What Is Conflict?

Key Elements of Conflict

1. Actors: Individuals, groups, states, or organizations involved in the conflict.
2. Incompatibility: The core issue or disagreement driving the conflict.
3. Behavior: Actions taken by actors, ranging from negotiation to violence.
4. Context: The social, political, economic, and cultural environment in which the conflict occurs.

Types of Conflict

1. Intrapersonal: Conflict within an individual, such as moral dilemmas.
2. Interpersonal: Conflict between individuals, like workplace disputes.
3. Intragroup: Conflict within a group, such as factionalism in political parties.
4. Intergroup: Conflict between groups, including ethnic or religious tensions.
5. Interstate: Conflict between states, such as wars or diplomatic disputes.
6. Intrastate: Conflict within a state, like civil wars or insurgencies.

Perspectives on Conflict

1. Realist Perspective

1. Focus: Power and security.
2. View: Conflict is inevitable due to the anarchic nature of the international system.
3. Example: The Cold War is seen as a struggle for power between the US and the Soviet Union.

2. Liberal Perspective

1. Focus: Cooperation and institutions.
2. View: Conflict can be mitigated through diplomacy, international organizations, and economic interdependence.
3. Example: The European Union is often cited as a successful model of conflict prevention through integration.

3. Constructivist Perspective

1. Focus: Ideas, identities, and norms.
2. View: Conflict arises from socially constructed identities and perceptions.
3. Example: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is shaped by historical narratives and identity politics.

4. Critical Theories