Conflict, Complexity, and Change: A Meta-Framework for Addressing Protracted, Intractable Conflicts—III

Abstract

Conflicts that endure despite repeated good faith attempts to resolve them are considered intractable. Such conflicts can exist at the family, organizational, community, and international levels and present conflict resolution practitioners with extraordinarily difficult challenges. Over time, they can become highly complex, mercurial, and malignant, and render standard methods of conflict resolution such as negotiation and mediation less effective. This article is the 3rd in a 3-part series presenting a meta-framework for addressing protracted, intractable conflicts. It offers a new approach to conflict analysis and intervention that is responsive to the complex dynamics and long-term natures of these problems. A set of guidelines for intervention is outlined and applied to a contemporary case for illustration.