Individual Assignment: Conflict Resolution and Peacemaking Paper
University of Phoenix
Tessie L. Blake
December 12, 2011
In everyone’s life, there are going to be circumstances where conflict is an issue and it is something that has to be dealt with. Whether it is conflict between people or nations, conflict resolution and peacemaking manages the problem. This paper will highlight a scholarly article concerning conflict resolution and peacemaking in which the article will be summarized in detail, the four elements of conflict will be addressed, as well as applying the relevant concepts to the article in evaluating its merit for conflict resolution and peacemaking.
Conflict can be defined as a perceived incompatibility of certain actions or goals (Myers, 2010). The conflict crisis that will be summarized has to do with the case study of the Burundian civil war during the time period of the 1990’s (Piombo, 2010). The article discusses the difficulty that the peacemakers of this war had to face. It studies external peace negotiations in order to gain a further understanding of the process, and questions why certain issues were or were not considered. The article also looks into the effects of the decisions made during this war in the negotiating strategies. The article suggests that fundamental issues of the war must be addressed in order for the conflict to be resolved. Delaying or overlooking the fundamental issues until after the peacemakers leave will cause powerful groups to avoid solving the issues (Piombo, 2010). The article further states that after the peacemaking process is over, there is less international attention, which makes is easier to perpetuate the status quo (Piombo, 2010). When it comes to peacemaking negotiations, the issues that started the conflict may be too sensitive to be introduced when the conflict is either ongoing or recent (Piombo, 2010).
Social psychologists have come...