Conflict resolution and ethic Intervention Communication is a central part in the conflict and ethnic intervention. Conflict can be termed as a misunderstanding between two or more parties. In addition to that, conflict can further be grouped to gender conflict, social conflict, economic conflict or political conflict. Politically instigated conflicts are the most rampant in the world and are fuelled by politicians using propaganda via the social media. An example is the heightened level of conflict during the First World War, Second World War and the cold war. Conflict resolution calls either for negotiation among the parties or the intervention of an arbitrator or mediator. However, it is worth to realize that the central point is not only conflict resolution but also ethical resolution.
Ethical resolution ensures that there are no ill feelings left among the conflicting parties.-chapter 17 A common characteristic of a conflicting group is that they do not talk directly that reduces the chances of amicably solving the conflict. Oliver Ramsobotham in his work gives various examples to highlight the role of communication in conflict resolution. He gives an example of the war-torn Burundi, at one point the conflicting groups in Burundi saw a helicopter in their village. The villagers from the antagonist group organized an ambush that left many people dead. Upon communicating to each other when they arrived home, they realized that the helicopter had come to air-lift a pregnant woman. Had the medical officers, or the family involved communicated to the local authorities, the bloodshed would have been avoided (Sandole 2014, pg 17). However, it is equally important to note that communication is a double-edged sword.
Hitler’s speech was full of sparks of chaos while other nationalists brought an end to the global war. Secondly, Oliver in his work insists that behind any political conflict lay intellectual challenges. He insists that there is always an attempt to solve a conflict orally but when the involved party plays a deaf year, physical conflict emerges. As the book is set in the period of the global war, we can take the case of Germany and the Versailles treaty. Germany complained about the terms, but the parties involved played a deaf year and that resulted to the emergence of Second World War! There are two approaches to conflict resolution, the struggle between the irreconcilable groups and antagonists or the “soft hand”. Marxist views liberal conflict management as theoretically uncritical and naïve.
The ultimate goal of conflict management is reconciliation through negotiation. Negotiation to conflicting interests opens doors to overcoming and settling of injustices. Although many mistake peace building for state building, it is important to note that state building cannot be used to measure peace building in a conflicting area. This implies that reconciliation or conflict management cannot be reduced or narrowed down to power sharing. An example is the conflict between the Fatah and Hamas in the Middle East. There have always been feelings of unease about a third party in conflict resolution. The third party plays a central role in the dynamics of the resolution.Their actions can have either beneficial or deleterious consequences. This raises questions on ethical intervention and the nature of social intervention. Conflicts are better handled through negotiation between the parties. However, in cases where the services of a third party are needed, it is important to seek a party that stands no chance of gaining or loosing regardless of the outcome.
Work citedPeacebuilding: Preventing Violent Conflict in a Complex World. (2014). "Contemporary Conflict Resolution" 3rd edition. (2014).
