Summary/Abstract |
Conflicts happen, leaving tangled stomachs, crumpled brows, shaky knees. They strain us and stretch us. To address conflicts constructively, we need intuition and imagination to navigate the shades of conflict. In this article, I wish to examine the dynamics of conflict process. Conflicts do not arise simply because of differences over issues or miscommunication. Some of the most difficult conflicts, we face today have well-defined issues and have been the subject of countless efforts at calm communications. In the words of Bo Kjellen, the Swedish negotiator to the Kyoto Protocol, “I only knew negotiations through my practical experience and started to read the theory only towards the end of my career. I think it would have helped me a lot had I known the theory earlier”.
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