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2018 | Buch

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Cross-Cultural Dialogue as a Conflict Management Strategy

herausgegeben von: J. Martín Ramírez, Gracia Abad-Quintanal

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book contributes to the current knowledge and research on conflict and cross-cultural dialogue, emphasizing how respect, tolerance and dialogue may be quite effective tools for bridging the diverse cultures and, consequently, for solving many of the conflicts of today’s world, characterized by a dynamic interchange of populations with very diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

For this purpose, we rely on reputed scholars from ten different countries, and from different cultures and fields of expertise, which allows for diverse contributions from a valuable interdisciplinary perspective.

The first section of the book deals with the correlation between cultural differences and conflict, while also showing how such conflicts can be prevented and, should they arise, managed and solved.

The second section addresses a different, more specific issue: how cultural expression means and tools for cultural communication may lead to conflict whereas they may help to avoid it as well.

Finally, the third section analyzes how legal and justice systems deal with cross-cultural conflicts as well as with situations which may lead to cross-cultural conflicts, thus assessing to which extent such systems contribute to avoid and/or solve such kind of conflicts.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

World Order and Conflict

Frontmatter

The World Order and the New Geopolitical Trends

Abstract

In the early years of the new century, the world has seen a series of startling developments beginning with the attacks carried out by Salafi jihadism, which remains a major threat today, and ending with the recent emergence of global cyber warfare. Events such as Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its military support for Ukrainian separatists, the civil war in Syria, China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea, the initiation of a new Silk Road, Brexit and the Trump phenomenon all seem destined to reshape the current international panorama. The diminishing importance of the old geopolitical factors, the growing force of economic interests, the dominance of emerging technologies, the information revolution and cyberspace are transforming the geopolitical universe. With the great geopolitical dilemmas facing international security today and the geopolitical trends likely to materialise in the near future, it seems worthwhile to outline some of the features of the new world order that will accompany us in the first third of the twenty-first century.

Jesús Argumosa

The Destiny of Nuclear Weapons After the Ban Treaty

Abstract

122 of the 193 Member States of the United Nations on 7 July 2017, at the plenary meeting adopted a multilateral Treaty banning nuclear weapons (Text of Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), https://www.iaea.org/publications/documents/treaties/npt.). None of the nine possessors of nuclear weapons: USA, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel—did participate in the negotiations on the text of the Treaty and vote. Japan, the main victim of nuclear weapons, and non-nuclear weapons members of NATO refrain from participation at negotiation. Without questioning the good intention of the initiators of the Ban Treaty, a critical review of historical events indicates the following straight forward conclusion: The Ban Treaty prohibits the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the same as the NPT did. It does not include legally binding obligations for elimination of nuclear weapons within certain definite timeline. Therefore, the same historical mistake made during negotiation of the NPT, lacking any definite dead line for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, in its article VI, is repeated now. This shall leave the hands of the nuclear weapons possessor opened, as the NPT did, for almost had half a century. It has to be recalled the NPT was the initiative of the weapons states. The tremendous pressure augmented on weapon states during decades, due to public awareness and their concern of humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons, was a great opportunity to push for a “Nuclear Weapon Convention”, for total elimination of nuclear weapons. The Ban Treaty, however, with step by step voluntary mild approach, practically postponed the realization of legitimate urgent demand of peace loving people, for decades if not indefinitely. The opponents of the Ban Treaty, specifically the weapon sates are therefore, satisfied by the “Nuclear Ban Treaty” initiative, though they oppose to possibly mislead the public. In a nutshell, the security threat of thousands of nuclear arsenals, global threat, will remain for decades.

A. A. Soltanieh

Culture, Violence and Conflict

Frontmatter

Security Culture and Morale: Determinants of Effective Operation of Uniformed Services

Abstract

Concerning the issues of the importance of morale for functioning of individuals and professional groups functioning patterns is extremely practically useful strand of analysis of social functioning of a person living in the conditions of modern civilization. Behaviour patterns are interpreted as repeatable and predictable sequences of ways of behaviour. The concept of pattern assumes a certain, usually positive, method of its evaluation. We most often talk about patterns in model categories as of certain ways of functioning, which really are worth following and promoting. In such context formulation of adaptability should apply to behaviours that are positively evaluated and considered as appropriate ways of interaction with the environment. A behaviour pattern can be interpreted in some isolation from the evaluation of its components and a pattern as a system. From this point of view the concept of pattern is understood as a set, collection or system of behaviours of repeating nature in the operation of individuals and requiring the use of additional criteria that allow to evaluate it.

Juliusz Piwowarski, Wojciech Czajkowski

Individual Terrorism as a Response to the Distorted Phenomenon of Cultural Identity

Abstract

This chapter analyses the phenomenon of terrorism from diverse theoretical perspectives in order to clarify the scope of the concepts of ideology and interpellation to study youngsters’ phenomenon of identification with the cause of, and subsequent voluntary support for, jihadism through lone wolves’ actions.

Claudio. A. Payá-Santos, Juan José Delgado-Morán, Pablo Andrés Mazurier

Language Diversity as a Source of Conflict in Hungary—Possible Implications of Immigration

Abstract

Hungary has been a multinational and multilingual state for a thousand years, therefore had to implement policies and legislation on its minorities and linguistic diversity. After the democratic transition in 1989/90, the country’s new legislation on the protection of minorities became generally praised as standard setting in Europe. In 2011 a new Constitution and a new law on minorities were adopted, one of the major ‘innovations’ being Hungarian declared as the official language of the State. The aim of the paper is to present and critically evaluate the legislation and policies on language use and minority protection in Hungary in the democratic era, with special focus on the reverberations of today’s immigration boom in Europe, and the Hungarian government’s reactions to that. The paper opens questions such as: Is Hungary’s legal arrangement is appropriate to accommodate current needs of language minorities including new minorities, i.e. migrants? What are the possible implications of influx of immigrants into Hungary in terms of language policy? Will language resurface as a source of conflict as a new layout of multilingualism is taking shape in Europe?

Noemi Nagy

Cultural Differences and Conflict Management

Frontmatter

The Search for Unity Beneath Our Cultural Differences

Abstract

Flowers come in many colors, many sizes and many forms and express themselves in different ways. Yet they are all flowers and together they form a most beautiful bouquet! Humans too come in all sizes, shapes and colors, yet they are still humans. Humans also express themselves in different ways, religiously, culturally and individually. The question is how can we form a beautiful bouquet? This involves a deep respect for differences on the one hand, and on the other, it involves a sincere search for ‘that’ what underlies all of us.

Tina Lindhard

What Can Psychology Offer in Cross-Cultural Dialogue: A Psychological Approach to Intercultural Competence

Abstract

Psychology, as a field of an applied social science, could offer theories, procedures and trainings in solving some basic problems (e.g. fear, injustice) in security studies. This chapter was inspired by SALTO report (Bortini and Behrooz in SALTO Youth, 2012). The work presented ‘working’ definition of intercultural competence, focused on theories of acculturation and emotional-cognitive processes involved in the creation and preservation of the bias of intercultural skills approach. The process of the development of basic skills such as: coping with insecurity, critical thinking, tolerance of ambiguity, communication were described. The review of the literature and some applications of this subject were presented as a step to use them in everyday practice. Having a framework of intercultural competence such as these presented and discussed above, it can be helpful in ensuring a more comprehensive, integrated approach in everyday work and life and promoting a better cross-cultural dialogue.

Marzanna Farnicka, Margarida Pocinho

Sensemaking and Unknowable in Risk Management

Abstract

The understanding of unknowables in the risk management processes hinges on identity, requisite diversity and ontological dimension of a sense maker. A team involved in risk assessment and risk analysis must form a unit of sense makers who can deal with knowns, knowables and more so unknowables through the process of sensemaking. The paper discusses sensemaking concepts as popularised by Weick in 1995 and use this understanding to unravel unknowables during risk analysis. With the current focus on “Terrorist Conflict”, that challenges all national and international security organisations, the importance of risk assessment and risk analysis becomes critical to prevent and mitigate frequent, unannounced and devastating losses of human lives and assets of incalculable value. Some of the devastating terrorist attacks are understood retrospectively even though the cues were there but not noticed. The occasions for sensemaking are triggered by ambiguity, unexpectedness and uncertainty, which could assist in picking up cues for potential terrorist activity.

Dumisani Khanyle, John David Cluett

Aesthetics of Peace: The Role of Art in Conflict Transformation

Abstract

Peacebuilders started to look for alternative conflict transformation methods because it was revealed that the traditional approaches cannot fully address the deep-rooted socio-psychological causes of conflict. This chapter discusses the possibility of using art as a tool in conflict transformation by drawing from Lederach’s definition of conflict transformation and Aristotle’s concept of catharsis. Four different examples have been used to highlight how artistic activities and aesthetic experiences address some key underlying causes of conflict such as: trauma, miscommunication, social exclusion and dehumanisation. After the careful examination of those case studies, it was revealed that art can be used as a tool in conflict transformation because it transforms attitudes and perceptions by producing a cathartic effect on both artists and audiences. This study is important in the peace studies field because it provides a new approach through which conflict transformation can be pursued in order to prevent the (re) occurrence of violence.

Ioana Popescu

The Legal and Justice Systems and the Cross-Cultural Conflict

Frontmatter

Dangerous Offenders with Personality Disorders: A Comparative Study of the Situation in Diverse Legal Systems, with Special Attention to Spain

Abstract

Since the dawn of the 21st century, the Western Hemisphere strategic defense outlook has been notably modified, due to new challenges and threats unknown or underestimated up until that moment. In this context, the adoption of preventive measures is imperative in order to guarantee the security over the territory and interests of Spain and the EU. The doctrinal concept of advanced frontier, although justified in certain cases with clear limitations, can never be used to legitimize covert cyber operations against critical infrastructure in sovereign states. An offender’s culpability versus the degree of danger he poses to society. This article explores the problem of dangerous criminals with personality disorders, for example sexual psychopaths, in the light of neuroscientific studies published in recent decades, in order to establish whether these individuals are liable or partially liable to prosecution—in other words, whether from a legal point of view they are fully responsible for their actions. Before this scientific advance, the violent acts perpetrated by these offenders were considered to be the product of their own free will. However, neuroscience has proven that there is nothing that cannot be explained in scientific terms, in accordance with the rules of causation. Therefore, neuroscientific studies will be useful to refine the relationship between certain disorders and the degree of immunity from prosecution; that is to say, advances in neuroscience have diluted the difference between someone who can be held responsible and someone who cannot. However, this possible mitigation of the sentence sits uneasily with the risk that these subjects pose to society, and so the sentence must be supplemented with a post-incarceration security measure aimed at special prevention. This article presents an overview of the security measures applied to dangerous individuals implemented in a variety of countries, and then pays special attention to Spanish criminal legislation.

Pilar Otero

Terrorism and Violence in Spanish Prisons: A Brief Glimpse into Prison Environment: Personal Experiences and Reflections

Abstract

In recent years, Spanish prisons show a decline in prison population, with a parallel increase in aggressive behaviour. Serious or very serious assaults suffered between 2006 and 2010 numbered 725, while between 2011 and 2016 the exponential increase in assaults amounted to 2208. Coercion, verbal aggression in the form of threats and criticism, considered minor infractions, increased from 2160 in 2009 to 3035 in 2016. In prisons, there are different types of cell blocks where various intervention programmes are applied. These depend on repeat offenses, class of felony and even the prisoner’s dangerousness. In the least conflictive cell blocks, coexistence is easier, since the inmates view the correctional officer as a helper or an equal and not as someone who they must confront as if they were an enemy. This trust facilitates our work. On the contrary, in more problematic cell blocks, we find inmates who are more reluctant to follow the options presented by the institution and put into practice by the correctional officer. In these cases, the increased tension is palpable, and the best defence is the ability to work with disruptive behaviours through verbal communication, dialogue, and self-control. Understanding the situation can be complicated as inmates may form groups or closed systems in reaction to those who they believe to be their oppressors. This occurs with prisoners who belong to armed or criminal gangs, Latino gangs (maras), jihadist terrorist organisations or prisoners convicted of violent crimes. In order to do our job well when a conflict arises, we need to be emotionally detached and focus our attention on resolving the conflict. This does not always prove successful, especially when additional resources are required: the more violence, the less and more drastic the options available to resolve the conflict. In some cases, prisoners feel no pain nor suffer mental load during the conflict. In many cases, threats to our mental, or even physical, being occur on a daily basis. These individuals establish their own rules of coexistence, which they use to break down an established system with which they do not identify. But, at the same time, they know the laws well enough and use their tools and self-protection mechanisms, resulting in (mostly false) complaints. This aggressive behaviour, far from being impulsive, is motivated, purposive and aimed at achieving goals, namely the destruction of that which does not coincide with their purposes or thoughts. This situation forces prison officers to be on a permanent state of alert while prisoners attempt to wear them down to the point of apathy. I have had enough conversations in this hostile, threatening and complex environment to think that this violence we could call political, yet personal, carried out by lucid, yet threatening, people, who are rational, yet pitted, against the world and yourself, with morally justified, yet aversive, motives generates constant pressure and psychological permeability among prison officers. It produces fear and doubt that sometimes translates into a weakening of your own knowledge and actions.

Luis Millana

Backmatter

Titel: Cross-Cultural Dialogue as a Conflict Management Strategy
herausgegeben von: J. Martín Ramírez
Gracia Abad-Quintanal
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-77231-8
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77230-1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77231-8