Constructive confrontation is a strategyfor approaching intractable conflicts that are not ripefo... more Constructive confrontation is a strategyfor approaching intractable conflicts that are not ripefor resolution. Developed in the context of large-scale public policy and international conflicts, this approach parallels transformative mediation in several ways. Most important is an emphasis on empowerment and recognition (though constructive confrontation uses d8erent terms) and afocus on constructive processes rather than resolution us the primary goal. This article describes constructive confrontation and compares it to transformative mediation, highlighting both similarities and dwerences. The greatly expanded use of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques has been one of the great success stones of recent years. Mediation and other ADR techniques have been immensely effective (and widely accepted) in a number of arenas-for instance, labor-management conflicts (where their use dates back to the early 19OOs), family and community disputes, consumer and commercial disputes, and some environmental, public policy, and even international disputes (where mediation has a long history as well). Some types of conflicts, however, appear to be highly resistant to even the best dispute resolution processes. Particularly difficult are public policy conflicts involving unavoidable win-lose elements: irreconcilable moral differences (regarding abortion or gay rights, for example), high-stakes distributional questions (over the federal budget or social program funding, for example), and domination conflicts (where people struggle for ever-higher positions in the social hierarchy). Although individual dispute episodes (over what abortion procedures are allowed and when or whether federal funds can be used to provide or counsel about abortions, for example) may be temporarily decided, the underlying conflict continues. Similarly, budgets are set and money is spent, but the conflict between the rich and the poor, the young and the old, conservatives and
... of military policy can immensely enrich their insight into their own subject by examining the... more ... of military policy can immensely enrich their insight into their own subject by examining the reasoning, and pursuing the case ... We are especially grateful to Hans Binnendijk, Douglas Bond, John Chipman, Joanne Leedom-Acker-man, Mary Locke, Roger Powers, Gillian Price ...
Intractable conflicts are those that lie at the frontier of the field-the conflicts that stubborn... more Intractable conflicts are those that lie at the frontier of the field-the conflicts that stubbornly seem to elude resolution, even when the best available techniques are applied. We discuss the nature of intractabilityits causes and why it is so important to learn more about it. We also discuss why it is essential that we address the problem of intractability head-on rather than ignoring these conflicts because they are viewed as impossible.
The_final report of a-3-year project t-o_impreve the delivery of inservice training for school,nu... more The_final report of a-3-year project t-o_impreve the delivery of inservice training for school,nurses_thrOUgh the development of computer assisted_instructional_programs and videotapes concerning_hrindicapped:childron_is_presented. The_School
Theoretical Foundations, G. Burgess and H. Burgess Peace, Justice and the Faces of Power, K. Boul... more Theoretical Foundations, G. Burgess and H. Burgess Peace, Justice and the Faces of Power, K. Boulding Non-violent Direct Action and the Diffusion of Power, D. Bond Violence, Non-Violence and Justice in Sandinista Nicaragua, P. Wehr and S.E. Nepstad Violence versus Non-Violence - A Personal Case Study of the USSR and Its Successors, Z. Arabajan China's Movement to Resolve Citizen/Government Conflicts Without Violence, S. Thomas Non-Violent and Violent Ethnic Protests in Africa, J. Scarritt Foreign Threats and Domestic Actions - The Case of Sanctions Against South Africa, W. Kaempfer, et al Belief Systems and the Appeal of Justice without Violence in the Middle East, A. Kazak Attaining Justice Through Development Organisations in India, E.M. Mathiot Conclusion, H. Burgess and G. Burgess.
Assumptions Although the peace and conflict field has made great strides in the last 40 years, we... more Assumptions Although the peace and conflict field has made great strides in the last 40 years, we believe that destructive conflict remains one of the greatest threats to human welfare. We simply must develop better ways of handling difficult and dangerous conflict situations, if large-scale catastrophes are to be averted. Based upon work already done in many different conflict-related fields, we now know a great deal about the nature of destructive conflict processes and more constructive alternatives. Yet, there are far too many situations in which this knowledge is not being translated into constructive conflict practices.
This website is one of several created by the University of Colorado Conflict Resear ch Consortiu... more This website is one of several created by the University of Colorado Conflict Resear ch Consortium. This particular website has been created in conjunction with The Training Design Consultation Project, funded by the Surdna and Hewl ett Foundations, and directed by Joe Folger and Baruch Bush. Folger and Bush are the authors of the pathbreaking book, the Pr mise of Mediation (Jossey-Bass, 1994). This book describes an alternative approach to mediation, which the authors refer to as "t ansformative mediation." Although this approach has long historical roots, its use in the mediation field has been largely abandoned in re cent years, at least until publication of this book, which has sparked a great deal of renewed interest in the transformative approac h, not just to mediation, but to conflict resolution in general.
The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this... more The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this issue) focused upon an in-depth analysis of identity, characterization, and process frames, with much less effort devoted to exploring technical fact-finding-the primary subject of this article. Though drawing from the case studies of the EFC project to inform our work, readers should recognize that the research foundation for this article is more limited.
The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this... more The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this issue) focused upon an in-depth analysis of identity, characterization, and process frames, with much less effort devoted to exploring technical fact-finding-the primary subject of this article. Though drawing from the case studies of the EFC project to inform our work, readers should recognize that the research foundation for this article is more limited.
Constructive confrontation is a strategyfor approaching intractable conflicts that are not ripefo... more Constructive confrontation is a strategyfor approaching intractable conflicts that are not ripefor resolution. Developed in the context of large-scale public policy and international conflicts, this approach parallels transformative mediation in several ways. Most important is an emphasis on empowerment and recognition (though constructive confrontation uses d8erent terms) and afocus on constructive processes rather than resolution us the primary goal. This article describes constructive confrontation and compares it to transformative mediation, highlighting both similarities and dwerences. The greatly expanded use of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques has been one of the great success stones of recent years. Mediation and other ADR techniques have been immensely effective (and widely accepted) in a number of arenas-for instance, labor-management conflicts (where their use dates back to the early 19OOs), family and community disputes, consumer and commercial disputes, and some environmental, public policy, and even international disputes (where mediation has a long history as well). Some types of conflicts, however, appear to be highly resistant to even the best dispute resolution processes. Particularly difficult are public policy conflicts involving unavoidable win-lose elements: irreconcilable moral differences (regarding abortion or gay rights, for example), high-stakes distributional questions (over the federal budget or social program funding, for example), and domination conflicts (where people struggle for ever-higher positions in the social hierarchy). Although individual dispute episodes (over what abortion procedures are allowed and when or whether federal funds can be used to provide or counsel about abortions, for example) may be temporarily decided, the underlying conflict continues. Similarly, budgets are set and money is spent, but the conflict between the rich and the poor, the young and the old, conservatives and
... of military policy can immensely enrich their insight into their own subject by examining the... more ... of military policy can immensely enrich their insight into their own subject by examining the reasoning, and pursuing the case ... We are especially grateful to Hans Binnendijk, Douglas Bond, John Chipman, Joanne Leedom-Acker-man, Mary Locke, Roger Powers, Gillian Price ...
Intractable conflicts are those that lie at the frontier of the field-the conflicts that stubborn... more Intractable conflicts are those that lie at the frontier of the field-the conflicts that stubbornly seem to elude resolution, even when the best available techniques are applied. We discuss the nature of intractabilityits causes and why it is so important to learn more about it. We also discuss why it is essential that we address the problem of intractability head-on rather than ignoring these conflicts because they are viewed as impossible.
The_final report of a-3-year project t-o_impreve the delivery of inservice training for school,nu... more The_final report of a-3-year project t-o_impreve the delivery of inservice training for school,nurses_thrOUgh the development of computer assisted_instructional_programs and videotapes concerning_hrindicapped:childron_is_presented. The_School
Theoretical Foundations, G. Burgess and H. Burgess Peace, Justice and the Faces of Power, K. Boul... more Theoretical Foundations, G. Burgess and H. Burgess Peace, Justice and the Faces of Power, K. Boulding Non-violent Direct Action and the Diffusion of Power, D. Bond Violence, Non-Violence and Justice in Sandinista Nicaragua, P. Wehr and S.E. Nepstad Violence versus Non-Violence - A Personal Case Study of the USSR and Its Successors, Z. Arabajan China's Movement to Resolve Citizen/Government Conflicts Without Violence, S. Thomas Non-Violent and Violent Ethnic Protests in Africa, J. Scarritt Foreign Threats and Domestic Actions - The Case of Sanctions Against South Africa, W. Kaempfer, et al Belief Systems and the Appeal of Justice without Violence in the Middle East, A. Kazak Attaining Justice Through Development Organisations in India, E.M. Mathiot Conclusion, H. Burgess and G. Burgess.
Assumptions Although the peace and conflict field has made great strides in the last 40 years, we... more Assumptions Although the peace and conflict field has made great strides in the last 40 years, we believe that destructive conflict remains one of the greatest threats to human welfare. We simply must develop better ways of handling difficult and dangerous conflict situations, if large-scale catastrophes are to be averted. Based upon work already done in many different conflict-related fields, we now know a great deal about the nature of destructive conflict processes and more constructive alternatives. Yet, there are far too many situations in which this knowledge is not being translated into constructive conflict practices.
This website is one of several created by the University of Colorado Conflict Resear ch Consortiu... more This website is one of several created by the University of Colorado Conflict Resear ch Consortium. This particular website has been created in conjunction with The Training Design Consultation Project, funded by the Surdna and Hewl ett Foundations, and directed by Joe Folger and Baruch Bush. Folger and Bush are the authors of the pathbreaking book, the Pr mise of Mediation (Jossey-Bass, 1994). This book describes an alternative approach to mediation, which the authors refer to as "t ansformative mediation." Although this approach has long historical roots, its use in the mediation field has been largely abandoned in re cent years, at least until publication of this book, which has sparked a great deal of renewed interest in the transformative approac h, not just to mediation, but to conflict resolution in general.
The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this... more The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this issue) focused upon an in-depth analysis of identity, characterization, and process frames, with much less effort devoted to exploring technical fact-finding-the primary subject of this article. Though drawing from the case studies of the EFC project to inform our work, readers should recognize that the research foundation for this article is more limited.
The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this... more The first phase of the Environmental Framing Consortium project (which underlies the bulk of this issue) focused upon an in-depth analysis of identity, characterization, and process frames, with much less effort devoted to exploring technical fact-finding-the primary subject of this article. Though drawing from the case studies of the EFC project to inform our work, readers should recognize that the research foundation for this article is more limited.
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