Conflict Resolution and Peace Building – Practice Flashcards

Eighty question-and-answer flashcards covering key definitions, concepts, theories, phases and examples from the BPSE-146 Conflict Resolution and Peace Building course.

How does Lewis Coser define conflict?

As a struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power and resources in which the aim of each party is to neutralise, injure or eliminate rivals.

What three dimensions must be addressed to resolve a conflict?

Behavioural, Emotional (feelings) and Cognitive (perceptions).

What are the four basic stages of conflict according to Unit 1?

Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Intragroup and Intergroup.

Name the five levels of conflict intensity in a typical life-cycle.

Stable peace, Unstable peace, Open conflict, Crisis and War.

What is the main goal of conflict prevention?

To stop a potential or emerging dispute from escalating into open violence.

How does conflict management differ from conflict prevention?

Management is applied once a conflict is manifest to limit or contain it, whereas prevention is used before violence appears.

Give one example of a structural preventive measure.

Long-term initiatives such as creating inclusive political institutions.

Define conflict settlement.

Strategies aimed at ending direct violence—often through negotiation or coercive measures—without necessarily addressing root causes.

What is meant by conflict resolution?

Addressing and removing underlying incompatibilities so that parties mutually accept each other’s existence and goals.

What is the chief purpose of conflict transformation?

To change the underlying social structures, relationships and attitudes that originally generated the conflict.

Why is peace building considered the final phase of the conflict cycle?

Because it focuses on long-term cooperation and institution-building to ensure violence does not recur.

Distinguish violent from non-violent conflict.

Violent conflicts use physical force and cause casualties; non-violent conflicts pursue incompatible goals without armed force.

What is a latent conflict?

A situation in which incompatibilities exist but have not yet been openly expressed or turned violent.

What is a manifest non-violent conflict?

Tension and incompatibilities are openly expressed but below the threshold of violence.

List two key drivers of conflict escalation.

Fear and defensiveness that lead to cycles of threat and counter-threat.

Define an economic conflict.

A dispute in which parties compete to maximise their share of scarce material resources.

What characterises a value conflict?

Incompatibility in ideologies, ways of life or deeply held principles.

What is a power conflict?

A struggle in which each party seeks to maintain or increase influence over the other.

How can ineffective communication create conflict?

Through misperceptions, selective listening and unclear messages that generate misunderstanding and hostility.

What is meant by interpersonal conflict?

Incompatibilities in needs or goals between two individuals within a relationship.

Define role conflict.

Tension arising from unclear or incompatible expectations tied to social or organisational roles.

What distinguishes an intergroup conflict?

It occurs between two or more social, ethnic or organisational groups competing for resources or power.

Explain multiparty conflict.

A complex dispute involving several interest groups or organisations with differing priorities.

What is the essence of an international conflict?

Competition between states—often alternating between diplomatic pressure and overt war.

What is the ‘threat of punishment’ in international relations?

Using military action or sanctions to make another state’s policies more costly without attempting conquest.

Describe the ‘threat of conquest’.

A stronger power signals intent to absorb or dominate a weaker state unless demands are met.

What is meant by the ‘threat of annihilation’?

The possibility of complete destruction of an opponent—today most associated with nuclear weapons.

Differentiate offensive and defensive weapons.

Defensive arms (e.g., shields) reduce vulnerability; offensive arms (e.g., bombers) are designed to inflict damage.

State one hallmark of ‘new wars’.

They blur battlefront and home-front, involving states, non-state actors and widespread impact on civilians.

Name two enduring sources of conflict in South Asia.

Territorial disputes (e.g., Kashmir) and power rivalry involving India, Pakistan and China.

How does Kenneth Boulding define conflict?

A form of competition in which parties recognise mutually incompatible goals.

List Quincy Wright’s four main types of conflict.

Physical, Political, Ideological and Legal conflicts.

What three models of conflict did Anatol Rapoport identify?

Fights, Games and Debates.

Give two examples from Stuart Chase’s 18 levels of conflict.

Community quarrels (town vs. town) and Religious conflicts (Protestant vs. Catholic).

What are John Galtung’s two broad categories of conflict?

Intrasystem (within smallest units) and Intersystem (splits the larger system into parts).

Summarise the nature–nurture debate in conflict studies.

Whether violence stems from innate human biology (nature) or from social structures and learning (nurture).

What is the basic claim of Instinct Theory?

Aggressive behaviour is rooted in an inborn human instinct.

How does Social Darwinism explain conflict?

Through ‘survival of the fittest’, viewing social competition and warfare as natural selection at work.

What does ethology contribute to conflict theory?

It compares human aggression with animal behaviour, suggesting evolutionary roots.

What is socio-biology’s stance on aggression?

Some social behaviours, including aggression, have a genetic basis shaped by evolutionary advantage.

Mention one key criticism of biological theories of conflict.

They overlook cultural learning and socialisation processes that shape human behaviour.

What is Freud’s ‘death instinct’ (Thanatos)?

An innate drive toward destruction that can manifest as aggression toward self or others.

What core idea lies behind Social Identity Theory?

People seek a positive self-concept by favouring their own group over out-groups, which can create conflict.

What was the purpose of the Seville Statement on Violence (1986)?

To refute claims that humans are biologically destined to war and violence.

Define structural violence.

Harm caused by social structures or institutions that prevent people from meeting basic needs.

Name Galtung’s three forms of violence.

Direct, Structural and Cultural violence.

What is the central premise of John Burton’s Human Needs Theory?

Unsatisfied universal needs (e.g., security, identity, recognition) are root causes of deep conflicts.

List Maslow’s five levels of needs from base to peak.

Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem and Self-actualisation.

What key question underlies Resource Theory of conflict?

Who gets what share of limited or desired resources?

Explain ‘relative deprivation’.

Feeling deprived when actual conditions fall short of expected or promised standards, fuelling grievance.

How does Marx link economic structure to conflict?

Class struggle arises because those controlling production exploit the working class.

What is Gramsci’s concept of ideological hegemony?

Dominant classes maintain control by shaping cultural norms, values and beliefs to justify their rule.

According to Pruitt & Rubin, which strategy escalates conflict when adopted by both sides?

Contending (competing to win without concession).

What is a ‘hurting stalemate’ in conflict resolution?

A stage where continued fighting hurts both parties so much that they seek negotiation.

State one constructive function of conflict identified by Coser.

It prevents social ossification by stimulating innovation and social change.

What role can civil society and media play in conflict management?

They act as neutral observers, facilitate communication and pressure parties toward negotiation.

How does stable peace differ from unstable peace?

Stable peace has low tension and cooperation; unstable peace has high tension with negative peace only.

Define crisis management.

Short-term, urgent measures to prevent imminent war once a conflict reaches crisis stage.

What is preventive diplomacy?

Use of diplomatic techniques to stop disputes from arising or escalating into armed conflict.

Name one key peace-keeping role of the United Nations.

Deploying observer or military missions to monitor ceasefires and protect civilians.

Give an example of a territorial boundary dispute.

India–Pakistan disagreement over Kashmir’s Line of Control.

Differentiate conflict management from conflict resolution in one line.

Management limits violence; resolution removes root incompatibilities.

What is meant by a ‘zero-sum game’ in conflict?

A situation where one party’s gain equals the other’s loss, leaving no mutual benefit.

How does the Afghanistan case illustrate the conflict cycle?

It moved repeatedly through unstable peace, crisis and war phases from the 1970s to 2000s.

Define Positive Peace.

A condition not only of no war but of social justice and cooperative relationships.

What is an open conflict phase?

A stage where parties’ incompatibilities are public and they take overt measures, but violence may still be limited.

In which year did UNESCO adopt the Seville Statement on Violence?

1989.

What is the central aim of the peace-building phase after war?

To rebuild institutions and relationships so that violence does not recur.

Define crisis prevention.

Actions taken during stable or unstable peace to reduce tension and avert escalation.

Give two examples of direct preventive measures.

Facilitated workshops between rivals or third-party shuttle diplomacy to build trust.

State one constructive aspect of conflict recognised by George Simmel.

Conflict can strengthen group cohesion by clarifying boundaries and objectives.

What is an ‘intrasystem conflict’ in Galtung’s terms?

A dispute that exists within the smallest units of a social system, such as interpersonal friction.

What does MAD stand for in strategic studies?

Mutually Assured Destruction.

According to Burton, why can’t basic human needs be bargained away?

Because they are essential for human dignity and survival; compromise on them is impossible.

Name two cultural needs listed by Burton.

Religion and Language.

What is meant by the ‘structural transformation of war’ after the Cold War?

Shift toward low-intensity, intra-state and identity-based conflicts involving non-state actors.

Which case study illustrates post-conflict reconstruction in Unit 10?

Sri Lanka after the defeat of the LTTE.

Which block of BPSE-146 focuses on Peace Building?

Block 3 (Units 8–10).

Name any two peace initiative models discussed in Unit 12.

Martin Luther King’s civil-rights nonviolence and Nelson Mandela’s reconciliation approach.

Mention two global challenges cited in the course introduction that heighten the need for peace.

Climate change and shrinking natural resources such as water.