Conflict

Conflict
A serious disagreement or argument, typically a
protracted one.
Definition of Conflict
• According to JOE KELLY :
“Conflict is defined as opposition or dispute
between persons, groups or ideas”.
• According to FOLLETT:
“Conflict is the appearance of difference,
difference of opinions, of interests”.
 Nature of Conflict

Conflicts are Natural.

Conflict is finding the balance

Conflict is Universal.

Conflict is disruptive.

Conflicts are not Big.

Conflicts Involves Disagreement

 Nature of Conflict
Natural Disruptive
Conflicts are natural and inevitable Breakdown or Disruption in
normal activities

Disagreement Not Big

Different thoughts and perception Workplace not managed well by
the manager

Universal
Knowledge about self and others. Finding the Balance
• Correlative to Power
Health vs. Insurance
Concept of Conflict

Traditional view
Human relations view

Interactionist view
 Traditional view of conflict

The belief that all

conflict is harmful
and must be
avoided.
The Human Relations View of Conflict

The belief that conflict is

a natural and inevitable
outcome in any group.
 The Interactionist View of Conflict

The belief that conflict is

not only a positive force in
a group but that it is also
an absolute necessity for a
group to perform
effectively.
 Main sources of conflict

• The aggressive or
competitive behaviour
of human beings
 Main sources of conflict
• Competition for limited resources
 Main sources of conflict
• Frustration
Main sources of conflict
 Main sources of conflict
• Clashes between values and interest
 Main sources of conflict
• Cultural influences
 Main sources of conflict
• Misinformation, assumptions and expectations
Main sources of conflict

• Role and status issues

 Types of Conflicts
Functional Conflict Dysfunctional Conflict
Social conflict Emotional conflict
Economic conflict Intrapersonal conflict
Religious based conflict Interpersonal conflict
Intrasocietal conflict Value conflict
Intersocietal conflict Interest conflict
Intra state conflict Work place conflict
Inter state conflict Organisational conflict
Armed conflict Group conflict
Global conflict Data conflict
 Types of conflict

Individual Group Society

Intrapersonal Intra group Intra-

Societal

Interpersonal Inter group Inter-

Societal
 Intra-Societal Conflict
• Today, intra-societal conflict — conflict within
nations overshadows violence that pits
nation against nation. However, intra-societal
conflict is not always confined within
national borders.
• As the experiences in Rwanda, Burundi, the
Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, and the Balkans
demonstrate, intra-societal violence can
easily spill across communities and
boundaries miring regions in inter-societal
conflict.
• At present, 3,500 ethnic groups describe themselves as
“nations.” However, only 185 “nation states” are
recognized by the international community.

• Development of a new paradigm for peace is vital.

• Using education as a tool for the transformation of the

world from violence to peace has been a traditional
mission of UNESCO as well as of IAUP.
 Causes of Intra-Societal Conflict
❖ Family Quarrels and Feuds
❖ Societal Quarrels (Water resources, Sharing of pastures, wells, river water)
❖ Private Property
❖ Sharing of Resources
❖ Diverse Identities
➢ Caste
➢ Religion
➢ Language
Categories of Conflict at the Intra-Societal Level
Micro-Level Conflict

• It constitutes widespread and continuous tensions, quarrels and low

intensity violence.
• Family disputes, group-clashes and crimes like theft, infliction of injury
and even murder can be classified under this category.
• Ill-treatment of women by men-folk and neglect of physically and
mentally challenged persons by families are now regarded as part of this.
• Society takes measures to prevent these injustices.
• Micro level conflicts, though constituting less of a threat to the survival of
society but it occupies considerable part of the society's attention and
action.
Categories of Conflict at the Intra-Societal Level
Macro-Level Conflict
• Frequent clashes between large sections of people, endemic labor unrest, inter-religious,
inter-ethnic and inter-linguistic disputes.
• Here also the state play a crucial role in avoiding, resolving or containing the conflict.
But the macro-level category of conflict is more of a challenge to the society and the
state.
• ‘State Violence’ or ‘State Terrorism’
• Even ‘mature’ or developed societies have not been entirely effective in doing so.
• The United Kingdom (Britain) vs. Northern Ireland, a problem of conflict between
Protestant and Catholic communities.
• Of course in new states of Asia, Africa and Latin America these conflicts are more
intense and problematic.
 Resolving Intra-societal Conflict
❑The setting up of the International Criminal Court at the Hague in 1998
is a new precedent in the international society's role in the process of
intra-societal conflict resolution.
❑This is a far-reaching development because intra-societal conflict, until
recently, was regarded as an exclusive concern of the state and outside
intervention as quite inadmissible.
❑The doctrine of state sovereignty strongly strengthened this attitude.
 Inter-Societal Conflict

• Inter-societal conflict is caused between two

societies or inter- societal relations or
cultures (such as conflict between Islam and
Christianity during the Crusades or between
different ethnic groups within a country).
• Inter-societal relations are those authoritative actions,
understandings, or commitments of the authorities of
groups within one state with those groups or citizens of
another state,
or

• Those relations within groups whose membership and

organizations transcend states.
 Intra-State Conflict
• Intra-state conflict is a violent conflict caused within a
country fought by organized groups that aim to take power
at the center or in a region, or to change government
policies. For example: civil wars, election campaigns.

• An intra-state conflict will produce war between organized

groups to take control of a nation or region as civil war to
change government policies.
• It is high-intensity conflict, often involving regular
armed forces which have deep and long-lasting effects
on a country and its people

• Intra-state conflict results in large numbers of casualties

and the expenditure of large amounts of resources and it
also results in massive displacements of populations
fleeing from violence and economic disruption.
• It will destroy the physical infrastructure of the economy as
well as the institutions that defined the country’s political
and social infrastructure. These conflicts are fought within
the boundaries of a country.
• The peace agreement that ends intra-state conflict is only a
cessation of the violence.
• Unless there is a partition arrangement, citizens return to
their communities to live side by side with former
adversaries.
 Inter-State Conflict
• A conflict situation which occurs between two or
more states is considered to be an inter-state
conflict.
• The major challenge for large states is that of inter-
regional disparities.
• Reducing such disparities is essential for the success
of a federal structure.
• Both the Planning Commission and the Finance
Commission, through a system of transfer of resources
from the center to the states, are playing a constructive
role in reducing inter-state disparities and promoting
balanced, social and economic development across the
country.
• Even then, inter-state disparities in the level of
development do persist and constitute a major
challenge for the management of our federal polity.
• However, in recent years, the majority of conflicts
commanding international attention have occurred
within rather than between states.

• Inter-state relations are those authoritative actions,

understandings, or commitments of the governmental
authorities, the leaders, of one state to or with the
governmental authorities of another state or its groups
or citizens, either bilaterally or through international
organizations.
 Civil Society and Conflict Resolution

Ordinarily, it is the state that has near monopoly in ultimately prescribing and
implementing conflict resolution. But because the causes of conflict keep on increasing
and the state, even otherwise, cannot always effectively function in this regard, civil
society institutions entered the scene in a big way.
• The first is for the claim for more equitable sharing of society's resources and for
access to the enabling rights and privileges that present day states are obliged to
concede to people.
• The second claim refers to the very demand for participation in society’s
governance.
✓ They play a role in making these people aware of their entitlement to these
claims.
✓ The effect of this is an even more extensive role in conflict avoidance,
containment and even in conflict resolution.
✓ Public health and educational entitlement are good examples in this regard.
✓ The preservation of environmental balance is another instance.
✓ Promotion of minority-rights
✓ Displacement of thousands of people when large irrigation and other
developmental projects bring large-scale disturbance to their natural habitat,
the NGOs concerned perform the whistle-blowing function and much more in
helping avoid damage to larger public interest
 Waltz's Analysis of War

Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis

Three major sources of war as arising from
a) Human Nature and Behaviour
b) The Internal Structure of States, and
c) International Anarchy.
Human Nature and Behaviour

"According to the first image of international relations, the focus

of the important causes of war is found in the nature and
behavior of men's. Wars result from selfishness, from
misdirected aggressive impulses, from stupidity - other causes
are secondary and have to be interpreted in the light of these
factors".
The Internal Structure of States
“It is society that is the degrading force in men's lives, but it is the moralising
agency as well”.

❖ While human nature has a lot to do with conflict it is the very nature of the
organization of the people into a society (a state) that introduces the more
critical element of collective will that makes conflict more manifest.

❖ Thus the second source of conflict is the internal character of the state-the
public beliefs and practices, opinions and expectations, political systems
and institutions of government that frame human behaviour.
 International Anarchy
If the structure of the state and its system of governance shapes human behavior,
then the structure of the international system must also shape state behavior.

“With many sovereign states, with no system of law enforceable among them, with
each state judging its grievances and ambition according to the dictates of its own
reason or desire, conflict, sometimes leading to war is bound to occur. ... Because
each state is the final judge of what is necessary for its own cause, any state may at
any time use force to implement its policies. Because any state may at any time use
force, all states must constantly be ready either to counter force with force or to pay
the costs of weakness. The requirements of state action are, in this view, imposed
by the circumstances in which all states exist.”
 The Doctrine of Just War
The compromise between religion’s aversion to war and the compulsions of states
to resort to wars.
✓ It is associated with the Christianity though other religions traditions also
recognized the concept of just war.
✓ The ancient Indian idea of Dharma Yuddh is an example.
✓ Just war doctrines abounded during the Middle ages in Europe as a dimension of
Canon Law (Church-established law).
They resulted from the attempts to accommodate the pacifism of Christian teaching
with the spread of Christian domination of Europe and beyond.
As the church had gained space in the secular realm, justification for organized war
was thus integrated into the realm of human activity.
 Just and Unjust Wars, Michael Walzer,
1. There exists an international society of independent states
2. This international society has a law that establishes the rights of its members
- above all the rights of territorial integrity and political sovereignty.
3. Any use of force or imminent threat of force by one state against the
territorial integrity or political sovereignty of another constitutes aggression
and a criminal act.
4. Aggression justifies two kinds of violent response: a war of self-defense by
the victim and a war of enforcement by the victim and any other member of
international society.
5. Nothing but aggression can justify war
6. Once the aggression has been militarily repulsed, it (aggression) can also be
punished.
The Qualitative Dimensions for Global Wars
• Apart from the extension of local or regional war, the stage for global war is
much more directly set by the nature of contemporary weapons.
• ‘Global Weapons’ and ‘Global Strategies’
• The devastating capacity of nuclear weapons and the global strategies devised
to take advantage of these capabilities followed as an inevitable corollary.
• ‘Global interests’ by the superpowers
• The fear of reciprocal reach of the enemy, the superpowers frequently
extended their ‘security perimeters’- almost making the ends of the earth as
coming under their defense interests
• US strategists claimed “that the USA has world-wide vital interests, and
should ensure that it has the capacity to protect them all.”
❑ Nuclear Weapons and its Consequences
❑ International Terrorism - A Trigger for Global
War
❑ Clash of Civilizations and Global Wars