The Confman.2002 Data Set Developing Cases and Indices of Conflict Management to Predict Conflict Resolution

Abstract

There can be no doubt that conflict in general and international conflicts in particular are amongst the most important phenomena that we should study. Tens of millions of people have died as a result of conflict in the last century, untold destruction was wreaked on many societies, and millions of people lost all and became refugees as a result of some conflict or another. No other social process threatens the stability and order of the international system more than conflict. No other social process threatens the complete elimination of another person, group or nation. Clearly, there is much to be learned about conflict and how best to resolve it, to avoid the undesirable and negative consequences associated with conflict. Knowledge about the conditions and causes of conflict, and an understanding of its dynamics and modes of termination can help us transform a potentially violent process into a more constructive one. This chapter purports to suggest a way, a method, of thinking about conflict management, and presenting some ideas for scholars and policy makers that might suggest how best to approach a conflict. Our focus here is avowedly practical, though our approach is strongly theoretical (Deutsch, 1973).