ABSTRACT

Resolving International Conflict rethinks the dynamics of conflict escalation and continuation by engaging with research from the wide range of subfields in this area.

The book suggests a new framework for understanding conflict as a particular form of situation, interaction and tension. It shows how conflicts are shaped by varied dynamics relating to emotion, securitization, incentives, digital technology and violence; even attempts at monitoring, resolving or remembering conflicts may end up contributing to their escalation or continuation. Split into two sections, the first part focuses on the question of why and how conflicts escalate, while the second part analyses the continuation of conflict. The book features several case studies of conflict escalation and continuation - in Bahrain, Israel-Palestine, South Sudan, Northern Ireland and, most prominently, the case of the Syrian uprising and subsequent civil war. Throughout the book, and, in particular, in the conclusion, the consequences for conflict transformation are discussed.

This work will be of much interest to students of conflict resolution, peace studies, war and conflict studies, security studies and international relations, in general.

chapter 1|37 pages

Introduction

Revitalizing conflict studies

chapter 2|17 pages

How conflict escalation happens

Three central interaction rituals in conflict 1

chapter 3|17 pages

Escalation or demobilization?

Diverging dynamics of conflict displacement and violent repression in Bahrain and Syria

chapter 5|15 pages

Syria’s moving images

Moral outrage and the role of grassroots videos in conflict escalation

chapter 6|15 pages

Clergy and conflict intensity

The roles of the Sunni ulama in the Syrian conflict

chapter 7|16 pages

Foreign fighters

Violence and modern subjectivity 1

chapter 8|16 pages

Preventing escalation

The international pursuit of conflict transformation in Burundi

chapter 9|16 pages

‘Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’

Institutionalizing radical disagreement and dealing with the past in Northern Ireland

chapter 10|16 pages

Third parties, conflict and conflict resolution

The case of Sudan

chapter 11|19 pages

External incentives and conflict de-escalation

Negotiating a settlement to Sudan’s North–South Civil War

chapter 14|16 pages

Holding out for the day after tomorrow

Futurity, memory and transitional justice evidence in Syria

chapter 15|10 pages

Conclusion