CONFLICT AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

❖ Introduction:
Conflicts have been an integral part of human history and society, encompassing a vast
spectrum of interactions, from economic battles and electoral rivalries to competing
national interests in natural resources. From the times of clashes between tribes to the
Punic Wars, Wars of Coalitions, both World Wars or anti-colonial wars for
independence- Conflict has been deeply embedded in human society and has given rise
to some of the greatest military minds in history, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf
Hitler, Julius Caesar, Cao Cao and many more.

Conflict is still an essential part of societies today- they may have, for the most part,
moved from battlefields to boardrooms but there are always struggles for more freedom
or power, or perhaps a revolt against a particular figure of authority. Conflicts can occur
on both a personal and global level, the latter of which has a significant impact on every
citizen of the world in the different spheres of society.

Major conflicts have changed the world as the people living then knew it. For instance,
during both World Wars, as men were shipped off to fight at the frontlines, women had
to step in and do the jobs previously reserved for men and society underwent a massive
change in considering the role of women in the public sphere. Additionally, wars often
create economic booms i.e. a major increase in production, demand, income, trade and
employment. As there was more demand for weapons, tents, uniforms, saddles and other
equipment, industries often flourished and employment often increased.

Conflicts have played a very defining role in shaping the history, present and future.
Studying conflict will help us understand human behaviour, motivations, and decision-
making processes, which help us develop strategies for conflict prevention and
management. We can also analyse various patterns and systematic problems that lead to
economic, political and social instability. Furthermore, studying conflict will allow us to
understand how to approach peace-building, negotiations and conflict resolution.
According to Sun Tzu, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy, without fighting”.
Finally, studying conflict through various spheres, examples and incidents and
 understanding how to resolve it, maybe the key feature for a more prosperous, peaceful
and stable world.

(Calvin and Hobbes, ‘In The Shadow Of The Night’, Bill Waterson- Waterson is criticizing media for raising
anti-communist propaganda during the cold war)

❖ What is Conflict:
Oxford Dictionary describes conflict as, “a situation in which people, groups or countries
disagree strongly or are involved in a serious argument.”

While it is notable to note that, yes, conflicts are not limited only to countries or to a
global level. There are conflicts in our private and societal life, such as a dispute with a
family member, friend or even an extremely local body of authority like the Resident
Welfare Association (RWA). While these conflicts are also important and have a lasting
impact on us and our immediate external environment, in this research paper, I would
like to explore conflict on the global level, concerning different countries and nations
and how this affected the economy and socio-political spheres of the world and changed
society as we know it today.

Thereby, for the sake of this paper, I will define conflict as “a situation in which countries
disagree over certain treaties, policies etc. and can also lead to war and instability in
political, economic and social spheres.”
 (Calvin and Hobbes, ‘Yukon Ho!’, Bill Waterson)

❖ Factors of Conflict:
It is never a single change in circumstance that causes conflict. Conflict, or any change,
is a response to stimuli in the form of multiple changes in circumstances.

Conflicts can arise due to power struggles or competition for power, resources or
influence. For example, the power struggle between the Bolshevik Red Army and
Tsarist-supporting White Army in Russia caused a 3-year-long Civil War which in turn
caused major loss of life, instability and massive famine which caused hundreds of
thousands to die.

Conflicts also arise due to scarcity i.e. limitation of supply in relation to demand for a
commodity, or when said in simpler terms, it is when the resources available are not
sufficient enough to satisfy human wants. This is the reason for water disputes across
the globe.

Differences in values or beliefs are the most common factors for conflict. Differences in
values, ideologies, traditions, religious or philosophical beliefs etc. have seen fighting
break out in the various provinces of the German confederation established under
Napoleon, the Partition of splitting India into a Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan.
 These have also been used as a means to suppress groups such as the Jews, Blacks,
various tribal communities and other religious minorities.

Other factors for conflict include inequality and injustice as seen in the various
revolutions and fights for freedom across the world, alongside historical grievances of
grudges.

(Calvin And Hobbes, ‘The Days Are Just Packed’, Bill Waterson)

( Power struggles, Bradford Veley- There is always a want to consolidate more power with or without
opportunity)

❖ The Social, Economical and Political Spheres of Conflict:

The social, economical and political lines lie parallel to each other. And it is accepted
that they all will exert a certain amount of influence on society as well as each other.
Hence, they all play an important role in conflict and conflict resolution

Sun Tzu, ‘The Art of War’ (translated by Thomas Huyunh), page number 24, says
“According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the World
currently spends $1.2 million on the military, an amount equal to Canada’s entire GDP.
After a campaign, seventh-tenths and six-tenths of the citizen’s wealth and army
reserves respectively, are spent.” Furthermore, the economy of the world has always
been influenced in times of conflict, for instance, when the British traders had to
withdraw to provide for their troops, Indian industrialists were allowed to take over the
market. Another justification would be looking at how World War I transformed
America from an international debtor to an international creditor and Japan into an
industrial powerhouse.

(Mapped: The Countries With the Most Military Spending, Iman Gosh, 2019)

Often after any major conflict, there is a certain denial of rights that occurs as leaders
struggle to maintain control. For instance, the Reign of Terror began immediately after
the French Revolution, here one was not allowed to speak, think or act against the
revolution. Additionally, the losing side is often subjected to harsh treaties which can
cause more revolt and conflict, such as how the Treaty of Versailles played a major role
in Germany’s humiliation and World War II.
Most notably, conflict always leads to political instability. As there is a shift in alliances
and alignments, there is a chance to destabilise entire regions. Often, large power
vacuums open up, and there is always bloody fighting over who will fill them. This is not
unlike the dispute in Sri Lanka where Sinhala-speaking and Tamil-speaking
communities entered into a Civil War which lasted till 2009 and caused massive political
instability. It is also exhibited through the immediate aftermath of the Russian and
French Revolutions.

(Ratna Sagar Shrestha, THT, 2020- Shows conflict between the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the
United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists)

Conflict does not do people many favours socially either. It often leads to major
displacement of people and communities, to highlight this one can recall the Partition of
1947 or the more recent Afghanistan migration of 2022, where thousands of Afghan
refugees fled to India and other surrounding countries to flee the Taliban. All of this led
to a significant amount of social upheaval and trauma. Conflicts can create a
humanitarian crisis, where often the basic physiological necessities such as food, basic
healthcare and shelter are denied, which in turn causes malnutrition, poverty and health
issues, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly or young. While conflict can
also grant rights, much like the Indian, American, French and Russian revolutions, it also
comes with the inevitable loss of life and homes.
 (Afghan refugees, Council of Foreign Relations, 2022)

❖ Psychological Impact of Conflict:

The psychological impact conflict has is undeniable. Valiant soldiers who have seen
death on the battlefield will never be the same again. Parents lost children and children
lost parents. When words, patriotism and emotions that initially drive conflict fade away,
the conflict seems to drag on and the nation grows weary. Loss of life, homes, stability
and peace are certain accomplices of conflict and have a larger impact on the mind and
lead to the development of PTSD, ADHD, Anxiety and Depression

(Battle of Gettysburg, The American Civil War)

The above factors, impact and spheres of conflict will be observed through the
hereunder case studies of major conflicts. These conflicts are presented in no particular
order.

❖ Syrian Government Repression:

The Syrian government has long been blazing a trail for widespread human rights
violations by powerful security agencies. Documents recovered amid the civil war only
provide evidence to the claims made by ordinary Syrian citizens including sweeping
arrests for nonviolent dissent, the detention of women and children, the imprisonment
of relatives of wanted people, the ordering of military attacks without apparent regard
for the danger to civilians, and the harassment of the Kurdish minority.

Anne Barnard, The New York Times, 21 May 2019 mentions “The documents bolster
reporting by The New York Times and others on the sprawling network of torture
prisons where at least 14,000 people have died and nearly 128,000 remain imprisoned or
unaccounted for.”

Socially, this has been distressing for all citizens of the country. Zachary Laub, Council
for Foreign Relations, February 14, 2023, says “Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have
been killed and nearly thirteen million people—more than half the country’s prewar
population—have been displaced.” Laub, in the same article, further goes on to say “ In
2018, the UN humanitarian agency said more than one million people lived in areas that
were besieged or otherwise beyond the reach of aid.”

As thousands of refugees find themselves displaced from their homes without basic
physiological needs or shipped off to first-world countries including the USA, Great
Britain and France, the world has seen a refugee crisis. Countries try to accommodate
newcomers, however, a lot of refugees still live in miserable conditions.

The main head for this remains the centre’s executive director, Mohammad Al Abdallah
who has been recorded quoting “Security agencies work above the law”. Alongside, Hafez
al-Assad, the Syrian president until he died in 2000.

Politically, one can see that the government is decidedly non-democratic. They silence
the media, which is often described as the fourth pillar of democracy. An anonymous
journalist, The Guardian, July 16, 2010, says “As Human Rights Watch's researcher for
Syria, I have interviewed many of the Syrians who in good faith and sincere hope for
their country's future took up the mantle of criticism and democratisation, and were
arrested as a consequence”, the journalist later expands saying “With each passing year,
the space for communication shrank, with meetings in Syria becoming more dangerous
for activists and lawyers constantly tailed by government spies. Today, the internet
remains one of the few areas where we can communicate "freely" - or so I hope, given
Syria's increasing sophistication in monitoring online communications.”

Additionally, the Assad regime has been on a fast track for four decades. Highlighting
succession in a singular family, and perhaps bringing to light the lack of internal and
external democracy.

Globally, this conflict has also had an extremely serious impact. Both pro and anti-
regime factions have come to rely desperately on external allies. Assad’s regime has
come to rely desperately on Iran and Russia. Iran in particular, investing billions of
dollars in propping up the regime. Iranian forces including the Revolutionary Guard
Corps and The Iranian volunteer Basij paramilitary force have suffered serious
casualties. Iran is, however, mainly interested in protecting a vital land route to its
Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.

Russia too has provided support. Moscow cited the 2011 NATO-led intervention in
Libya and the ensuing chaos there as justification for vetoing measures in the UN
Security Council that would have punished the Syrian regime. Russia then provided
aerial military support in 2015. The opposition also has the support of powerful nations.
The US trained and armed rebel fighters. France and the United Kingdom have provided
logistical and military support. Additionally, the short-lived rapprochement by Qatar
and Saudi Arabia in 2015 enabled the formation of the Army of Conquest, unfortunately,
this was disbanded early on in 2022.

Unfortunately, Syria also relies on its allies for imports. This has led to a serious case of
hyperinflation in the country, alongside a decline in the currency. Economically, Syria
was and is struggling. The World Bank reports the continued depreciation of the local
currency has led to rampant inflation, worsening already high food insecurity and
pushing more people into poverty. Syria’s GDP halved between 2010 and 2019 and the
CoVid-19 pandemic (2020-2022) has not done them any favours.

To combat inflation, the government increased the wages for the public sector in 2021,
however, it remained incomplete. An IMF report suggests that government subsidies on
 essential food and fuel goods have dramatically risen over the past years, accounting for
approximately 40% of the total budgeted expenditures in 2021 and 2022.

To combat this, the government has tightened rationing, which has made the Syrian
people’s lives even more miserable.

(10 people killed in northern Syria, 6th November 2022)

(Protesters in Deera, 2021)

❖ Post 9/11 leadership conflicts:

On September 11th, 2001. The hijacked Flight 11 crashed into floors 93 to 99 of the
North Tower at 8:46 a.m. The hijacked Flight 175 struck floors 77 to 85 of the South
Tower 17 minutes later at 9:03 a.m. This was a coordinated attack by the Militant
Islamist extremist network Al-Queda.

9/11 has been considered the most ghastly event of international terrorism. Rohan
Gunaratna, Professor of Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
(Singapore), Council of Councils says “it killed almost three thousand people (2,977
victims plus the nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists), injured an estimated twenty-five
thousand, and inspired attacks in Bali, Djerba, London, Madrid, and elsewhere.”

Socially and psychologically, this was of course devastating for the families of the
victims. Additionally, this also led to a rather huge wave of Islamophobia, Islam hate
crimes and intolerance, which is said to have doubled in the US in the 2 decades
succeeding 2001.

Politically, the West, specifically the US, led a head charge in various conflicts. US-led
coalition disbanded the Al-Queda and the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. This coalition
also captured Khalid Sheikh, the operational leader in 2003 and killed Osama Bin Laden
in 2011 (albeit he did take the CIA 10 years to find).

The US made a mistake in interfering with the invasion of Iraq in 2003, leading to an
eventual drawback and rise of Al-Queda in Iraq.

However, by creating the Department of Homeland Security that brought its domestic
intelligence and law enforcement entities under one umbrella the US has been able to
preempt terrorist attacks and spearheaded global counterterrorism programs by offering
training and supporting governments that needed capabilities and support.

However, the recent rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has left the US crumbling,
although now it does have the support of Russia and China, both wanting to protect
themselves from internal and external terrorists.

Economically speaking, Lois M. Davis, Michael Pollard, Kevin Ward, Jeremy M. Wilson,
Danielle M. Varda, Lydia Hansell and Paul Steinberg, Long-Term Effects of Law
Enforcement’s Post 9/11 Focus on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, December
2010, pages 23-24 say, “We estimate that a 1 per cent shift in police personnel away from
police patrol functions to focus on CT and HS activities, nationally, would lead to
additional annual crime costs of approximately $363 million. At the local level, the
annual crime costs ranged from $1.54 million to $6.2 million across the jurisdictions
 where the case study LEAs are located. As a proportion of GMP, the range was very
narrow, between 0.002% and 0.004%.”

This technology and this amount of effort are extremely expensive, and the US has relied
on other members of the P5 (Russia, France, China and the UK) for support. This heavy
reliance could lead to problems for the US in the future.

(National Archives and Research Administration, October 12, 2001)

(John Albert Walker-2007)

❖ The Afghanistan Conflict:

In 2001, a US-led force crumbled the Taliban resistance in Afghanistan, successfully
ending the 5-year reign of Al-Queda. Due to the Doha Agreement (2020) where the US
promised to withdraw troops on an agreed timeline, the Taliban slowly, but certainly
defeated the retreating US troops on August 6, 2021. This was quickly followed by the
dissolving of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) and the Afghan
Government. On August 26, 2021, two suicide bombings outside the Kabul airport killed
at least 169 Afghans and thirteen U.S. troops. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the
attacks.

Socially this has been terrible. 93% of the population has no food security and 3 million
children risk malnutrition and the population is currently surviving at $1.96 per day.
Again, the surrounding countries, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc. face a
refugee crisis. There are currently 32, 338 refugees in India since 2021, the country,
already over-populated is finding it exceedingly difficult to provide for these children.

The Taliban has also brought back their backward thinking regarding women. As a
strict dress code was introduced, Women's sports teams were disbanded, the triple-talaq
system was encouraged and certain jobs are no longer available to women. The Suni
Muslim and Hindu minorities also faced floggings and persecution. Freedom of
Thought, Expression, Media and Movement have been severely curtailed as music is
banned, women cannot walk long distances without a male partner and protests are
savagely cut down.

Aghast at the Taliban’s actions, the US decided to strike back. According to the Council
of Foreign Relations, on September 17, 2021, following an investigation by the New York
Times and the Washington Post, the Pentagon reversed an initial statement it made
regarding the last U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan before the official U.S. withdrawal
from the country. A New York Times investigation also brings to light the 500 ex-
government officials the Taliban “forcibly disappeared”.

The country has returned to a dictatorship, or at least a military rule. Voting has been
curtailed and the country has also been banned from entering the UN. The Council for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) talks about how Russia and China may now try
to exploit the refugee-ridden, small, insatiable countries around Afghanisthan and how
the US, using it’s veto-power, is determined to keep Afghanisthan out of the UN until
the Taliban are gone.

Economically, the conflict and the cessation of aid caused a collapse in aggregate
demand. Job losses and economic deprivation remained widespread as the gross
domestic product (GDP) contracted by 20.7 per cent in 2021. The World Bank remains
hopeful for the country, however, as 2022 saw the Afghan economy settle onto a low-
ground equilibrium. However, recent data shows that by mid-2022, two-thirds of Afghan
households reportedly could not afford food and other basic non-food items, forcing
many adults to engage in low-productivity activities to generate income.

(Front page of Washington Post, 7th August 2021)

 (A year after the Taliban take-over, Forbes India, 2022)

❖ Ukraine Divided- Political Powers at Play:

The Russo-Ukrainian war began on February 20, 2014. According to various diplomats,
Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a major factor in
the reason why. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, seems to be trying to get Russia
back to its days of USSR glory. Ukraine developing along the lines of Western ideology
poses a threat to Russia’s autocratic regime.

After invading parts of Ukraine on February 20, 2022, Russia contributed to the largest
flow of refugees since WWII. According to the Interim report, in 2022, 3 million people
fled Ukraine in the first 3 weeks succeeding the invasion. Nataliia V. Stukalo, Anastasiia
Simakhova, ‘Social and economic effects of the war conflict in Ukraine for Europe’
, page number 16 say “The main social challenges of war contact in Ukraine are people’s
death, migration, crimes, unemployment, low level of average wages compared with
Europe, negative impact on civil society and socialization, the necessity of infrastructure
re-building. All these social effects of war conflict in Ukraine have formed an unstable
zone in Europe and have influenced geopolitical relations in Europe.”

This war, in the political sphere, has certainly increased Europe’s dependency on NATO
and the US. However, respect for Russia has decreased as Russian troops seem to
struggle on the war front. While the world did undergo a brief scare for a third World
War after Putin’s nuclear threats, it was soon found out that Russia relies heavily on
Chinese technology and arms. However, Russia also gets drones from Iran, which has
proved to be a secure ally. In Asia, China’s aggressive stance has pushed a lot of
countries such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and even India- a long-standing
Russian ally- a little more towards the US.

Economically, both countries have suffered. Russia losing its major exporting partners
for oil and energy has seen a 10 per cent dip in the GDP. 40 per cent of Ukrainian
children find themselves in poverty. The living standards for both countries are at an all-
time low as more and more people find themselves below the poverty line. The rest of
the world has also felt the pinch, as both countries are major producers of wheat, corn,
energy, uranium, oil, palladium, titanium sponge etc. The prices for these commodities
have seen a sharp spike since 2022.

(Early stages of the Russian invasion, India Today)

(The West must hold its nerve on Ukraine)

 (Case studies end)

❖ Political Leaders and Their Ambitions:

Sun Tzu, ‘The Art of War’ (translated by Thomas Huyunh), page number 8, defines an
ideal leader as someone who possesses wisdom, credibility, benevolence, courage and
discipline. He further reiterates this saying that these qualities cannot be used for bad
judgement. Unfortunately, this does not hold for the leaders of today.

For example, Sani Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993-98, has been said to have taken
$3-5 million worth of public money. This has widened the gap between the rich and poor
in Nigeria, and increased conflict and bloodshed in the coming 10 years.

The Adarsh Housing Society Scam is also a big example. The Adarsh Housing Society
was built for the war heroes and widows of the 1999 Kargil Wars in Colaba.
Investigations by both the Army and CBI in 2010 confirmed it was being used by
political leaders who abused property rights to get the flats for themselves. This also led
to a lot of disputes between the Army, Courts and political parties.

Political leaders often let their own corrupted, personal ambitions interfere with their
decision-making. This often leads to unnecessary loss of life and supports to either
create conflict or increase it. Giorgio Spagnol, Correlation Between Corruption And
Conflict, 2nd February 2019 says “Conflict will tend to prolong a war as armed forces
develop a vested interest in the continuation of war while their actual capacity to achieve
victory decreases. on the other hand, corruption can be successfully used to accelerate
victory; the Taliban was for a long time successful in buying out competing groups
before it too was toppled by the United States.”

The UN development programme says that corruption is a system in which money and
connections determine who gets access to public services. As a result, society gets
further divided. As opposing groups get further drawn apart the risk of conflict
increases.
( Maharastara’s ‘khichdi’ coalition, Yastath Kumar)

(Brushing up the years, RK Laxman)

❖ News Coverage and Media Bias:

Media is often termed the “fourth pillar of democracy,” and can largely contribute to
conflict and conflict resolution. Global media services, such as the BBC or CNN, have
strings all over the world and are streamed all over the world, they have a high chance of
influencing people to support a particular group. They have the potential to influence
international agencies or organizations.

The media has often been used as a means to promote conflict, such as in the French
Revolution, where Jean-Paul Marat called for more bloodshed and executions of the first
two estates. Even in either World Wars anti-German sentiment ran high in the Allied
countries and soldiers were encouraged to go fight. Media also twists words and spreads
propaganda and often causes tensions to rise.
 At the same time, media can also prevent conflict, by giving voices to those calling for
peace and having an open platform for relations to be discussed. It facilitates an open
platform for communication for various parties, and as linguistics is never a problem it
allows various people to participate in an ongoing debate.

(How media twists words and spreads propaganda)

❖ Conflict Resolution:
Despite the best efforts of all involved parties, it is not always possible to prevent
conflict. Conflict will arise regardless of the disadvantages, this makes conflict
resolution even more essential. Sun Tzu, ‘The Art of War’ (translated by Thomas
Huyunh), page number 102, says there are both moral and logical considerations to take
into account. In other words, just because you can do something, does not mean that you
should do it. A leader should always consider the well-being of the common population
before taking action.

There are many debates surrounding conflict resolution, as discussed below.

Past atrocities of human rights have two competing sides. Those who advocate for truth
and reconciliation, and allow the practitioners to be pardoned, while those who advocate
for justice and the persecution of those guilty.
Power and Justice are often two competing ideologies. Justice, the fair treatment, is
argued to be placed before any power imbalances and draws upon historical grievances
to determine the need for sustainable peace. The opposing side argues that power
imbalances must be settled before justice comes into play. Furthermore, there is an
ongoing debate; in conflict should external forces should facilitate via passive mediation
or should take active measures to intervene and enforce agreements.

There are also debates on who should solve a conflict. Some argue for Top-Bottom
approaches (prioritizes decision-making and planning on a high level) while others
support Bottom-Top approaches (the grassroot and community-level interventions are
necessary). Additionally, Track I diplomacy states that conflict resolution should be
formal negotiations between nations conducted by professional diplomats, while Track
II diplomacy suggests conflict resolution needs the efforts of professional non-
governmental conflict resolution practitioners and theorists.

George Washington, First State of Union Address, on January 8, 1790, said, “To be
prepared for war is the most effective means of preserving peace.” Paraphrasingly, effective
peace-making takes preparation, not passivity. This can be seen in the doctrine of MAD
(Mutually Assured Destruction) during the Cold War, if both parties knew they would be
completely destroyed by a nuclear war, neither would risk starting one. Moreover, the
Good Friday Agreement in 1998 showed how successful conflict resolution can reduce
violence and provides a framework for resolving disputes, promoting dialogue and
addressing grievances via peaceful means, as seen in Northern Ireland.

One should always define an adversary and conditions before engaging in combat, a lot
of unnecessary conflicts, such as WWI or the Falkland wars. In addition to this, to
maintain peace, any large body of organization needs a system to manage everyone’s
interests and the proper and efficient allocation of resources. An effective judicial
system is essential to conflict resolution in higher levels.
 (Need for conflict resolution, Andrew Genn, YAY media)

(Conflict resolution, Cartoon Resource, 2 August 2016)

❖ Conclusion:
Conflict, as discussed in this paper, is everywhere in the world. It can be on a personal
level, but global conflicts do not cease to exist, take for example, the Syrian Civil War.
What’s more, these large-scale conflicts often influence future conflicts. For example,
the US participation in Syria and Afghanistan after the 9/11 crisis led to the destruction
in those countries reaching a massive scale.

Not only this, the Social, Political and Economical factors in conflicts all influence each
other. For instance, conflicts always lead to political instability for the ruling group,
regardless of whether it is a democracy or a dictatorship. Political instability means
policy inconsistency, capital flight and government corruption-which assists in
economic instability. Economic instability, in turn, leads to a rising gap between the
haves and have-nots, which are often distinguished by particular social groups. This will
raise the call for more conflict, and so the vicious cycle continues.

This is why conflict resolution is so important. Correct conflict resolution can lead to
positive relationships being forged and powerful alliances being developed. For example,
negotiations in South Africa between the African National Congress (ANC) and the
National Party ended the apartheid system and created a harmonious relationship with
the white and black communities. At the same time, there are also the consequence of
not having helpful resolutions, for instance, the Treaty of Versailles, with it’s unfair
punishment of Germany, significantly contributed to the rise of Nazi Germany.

Hence, while conflict does seem to be inevitable, dialogue, negotiation, and compromise
show extreme potential in resolving conflicts and achieving peaceful outcomes. While
challenges and complexities remain, conflict resolution efforts continue to be
instrumental in bringing about positive change and promoting peaceful coexistence. To
conclude with a quote by Dorothy Thomas, “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the
ability to cope with it.”

(Calvin and Hobbes, ‘Weirdoes From Another Planet’, Bill Waterson)

-Samaira Khatri
Class: XI-A
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