This thesis aims to explore the Transdniestr conflict in Moldova by examining the involvements of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Russian Federation in their attempts at finding a working solution to this conflict. The thesis focuses on the reasons for the emergence of the Transdniestr conflict, the initiatives for the settlement of this conflict, and the causes, as of today, why the conflicting parties and the mediators have not been successful in reaching a working settlement. Contrary to the line of thinking on this conflict which suggests that the conflict has its roots in domestic factors in Moldova and Transdniestr such as ethnicity, socio-economic underdevelopment and the weakness of democratic institutions, this thesis argues that the primary reason behind the persistence of this conflict is international. It is the radically different definitions of the conflict by the OSCE and the Russian Federation that makes the conflict very difficult to solve. Russia tends to value the Transdniestr region as a geostrategic tool for maintaining its influence over post-Soviet Moldova and its neighbourhood. Since the involvement of the OSCE in this conflict limits Russia&rsquo / s capacity to use the Transdniestr region as a geostrategic tool, it becomes extremely difficult to alter the status quo that contributes to the existing impasse rather than to its opening of new avenues for the peaceful settlement of this conflict.

This thesis aims to problematize the cosmopolitan-spirited quest for a proper and permanent place for Islam and Muslim immigrants in Europe today, and to claim that the efforts to establish a European Islam cannot be thought in isolation from the efforts to consolidate a European identity. Since &ldquo / Europeanizing&rdquo / Islam is a process of inserting it into the politically acceptable formations of the secular in the European public sphere, not only does this project fail to offer a genuine alternative framework for belonging, or an authentic opportunity for dialogue, but also in fact consolidates the European civilizational identity on the one hand, and sustains the metanarrative about the Islamic threat on the other. The major argument of this thesis, therefore, is that the stranger (Muslim) is allowed to enter the host&rsquo / s secular space only under the conditions that construct Islam as the enemy. Forging a European Islam under the rules of secularism, without a radical interruption of the secular - religious division, and without referring to its implication in the discourses of Orientalism and racism, is ultimately a reconsolidation of the authority of the self-same European. This argument will be illustrated via a critical study of three cases of mosque debates in European cities.

This study focuses on the conflict process in a multi-culture team and discusses those factors which bring the conflict to next stage. In this study, 6 participators in Global MBA program which was formed by National Sun Yat-Sen Univiersity in Taiwan, University Victoria in Canada, and Johannes Kepler University in Austria were interviewed. By using narrative inquiry as research method, the study integrates different perspectives and analyzes factors behind this case. The result shows that if the interpersonal relationship is based on social-exchange theory, every participator provides one¡¦s good exchange with owned culture, but culture and value differences turn the goodness into misunderstandings. The expectation of one side wasn¡¦t met by the other side. The inefficient social exchange finally became subliminal conflict. In addition, peer support and mental balance play important roles in the process, and both of them are impacted by culture. The similarity of cultures connects people from different countries and builds up peer support which raises the subliminal conflicts to the surface. The difference of the cultures makes it more difficult to understand other¡¦s kindness. Both sides can¡¦t achieve mental balance, so it moves the conflict process back to previous stage and repeats itself. Finally, the attitude after conflict incident is the key factor to end up the conflict. Positive attitude helps participators to create more cultural understanding and solve the problem. On the contrary, negative attitude comes with rude behavior and brings down the organization. The study provides the empirical experience of the conflict process and further discussion which can be practiced in the cross-culture management and conflict management in the future.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): James A. Russell, Gregory K. Mislick. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-69). Also available online.

The objective of this study was to determine the safety impacts of right turn followed by U-turn movements (RTUT) at signalized intersections as well as median openings. RTUT movements are the most common alternatives to direct DLT movements(DLT). In order to achieve such data in a shorter amount of time, conflict analysis was chosen to be useful in this study as opposed to crash analysis. Additionally, data collection sites were divided dependent on certain geometric criterion and conflict data was recorded by the use of video recording equipment. Seven out the eleven conflict types used during the study were related to RTUT movements while the remaining observed conflicts were related to DLT movements. The safety comparison of right turns followed by U-turns to direct left turns at traffic signal sites indicated that DLT movements generated two times more conflicts per hour than RTUT movements. When the effects of traffic volumes have been taken into consideration, RTUT movements had a 5 percent higher conflict rate than DLT movements. At median opening sites, DLT movements generated 10 percent more conflicts per hour than RTUT movements. Furthermore, the other conflict rate, which takes the effect of traffic volumes into consideration, was 62 percent higher for DLT movements as compared to RTUT movements.Impacts of separation distance on safety of RTUT movements were investigated by a regression model. The model investigated impacts of U-turn bay locations and the number of lanes on major arterial on separation distance requirements. The model results indicated that U-turn bays located at signalized intersections and greater number of lanes on major arterials increases the minimum separation distance requirements. Finally, on four lane arterials U-turn distributions at median openings were analyzed to investigate how U-turns are accommodated at such locations. A u-turn regression model was developed to investigate impacts of median modifications on signalized intersection safety. The model results indicated that median modifications across the high volume driveways may cause safety problems at downstream signalized intersection.

Many of the recent armed conflicts have taken place in cities of the Developing World. In the resulting emergency situations, water supply and sanitation are among the most essential services to restore. They form part of the urban services available to the city dwellers that are commonly managed by local water sector institutions. This is, in principle, acknowledged by aid agencies but partnerships between them and water sector institutions do not always happen because of concerns such as: independence vis-a-vis the local government; possible corruption arid inefficiency problems; and political obstacles. Moreover, agencies prefer short-term structural rehabilitation to long-term institutional development, for which they do not always feel sufficiently qualified and experienced. This study tackles the problem by determining how these partnerships influence the performance of aid operations, in particular in terms of efficiency I effectiveness in the case of emergency response and of sustainability and coverage in the case of rehabilitation. It is based on a number of case studies selected in: Kabul (Afghanistan); Jaffna (Sri Lanka); Monrovia (Liberia); Beni (Democratic Republic of Congo); Port-au Prince and Port-de-Paix (Haiti), and Grozny (Chechnya in the Russian Federation). For emergency operations, findings show that partnerships tend to take place when the type or level of technology involved and/or security conditions do not allow the aid agency to work independently from water utilities. Partnerships do not necessarily influence efficiency I effectiveness in the short term but are beneficial because they prepare for rehabilitation. In terms of rehabilitation, findings suggest that current practice maintains a separation between large-scale rehabilitation projects and community-based projects focusing on specific neighbourhoods. This has a detrimental effect on sustainability and fails to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations. The study recommends a more coordinated approach that involves a reform of funding patterns, in order to reconcile sustainability and universal service.

Migrants from the Global South, coming to Sweden predominantly since the 1980s, have become a major focus of public discussions about immigration. The fears of and resentments toward the migrant ‘other’ appear to have shifted from European migrants to migrants of the Global South. Numerous studies (and official reports) showing the marginalisation of these migrants confirm their spotlight position. The aim of this thesis is to describe and explain the kind of challenges which African migrants face in their local Swedish context and to find out if they undergo any significant transformations affecting their identities and/or ways of life. This objective was pursued through a field study of African migrants from Cameroon and Somalia living in the city of Malmö. The empirical material consisted of semi-structured interviews with individuals and groups and participant observations at migrant cultural associations. The analysis utilised two main theoretical frameworks: theory of conflict transformation and theories of discrimination (racism). The choice of the former was made to illuminate the agency of migrants by highlighting their capacity to act in their own interests within the host society. A major strength of this approach is that it draws attention to the (re)actions of both ‘natives’ and migrants towards each other. Theories of discrimination address the important issue of unequal power relations working against migrants, which tend to be neglected in conflict theory. The advantage of using these different theoretical approaches is that they complement each other and thus strengthen the theoretical discussion in the thesis. Analysis of the empirical material indicated that established practices in major institutions, as well as individual actions at the micro level of society, contribute to the marginalisation of migrants. A major finding was that both migrants and ‘natives’ are involved in practices that produce experiences of marginalisation and discrimination for the former. Actions that produced conflicts, material deprivation and exclusion were identified with both migrants and ‘natives’. However, actions by ‘natives’ had a more negative impact than those by migrants. This was seen as the result of the fact that ‘natives’ have greater influence in society because of their relative position of power. Finally, the thesis showed that migrants perceive the challenges confronting them in Sweden in different ways, due to the specific experiences they face in Sweden but also by reason of their experiences in their countries of origins and their different migration histories. Some of them saw the practices that produced their marginalisation as infringements on their basic rights and responded by actively fighting back. Others were  less critical of similar practices and did little or nothing about them. Important differences between migrants were also noted in relation to their transformations in Sweden affecting important aspects of their lives: their identities, power relations among them and between them and the host society, gender relations, and their ways of dealing with the challenges with which they were confronted. These differences were seen as a result of the heterogeneity of the migrants under study, who nevertheless are often homogenised as the African ‘other’. This heterogeneity consisted of hierarchical gender relations, varying access to material resources, and membership in exclusive networks of belonging based on particularistic  national and regional identities.

Jaunas žmogus augdamas susiduria su įrairiausiomis bendravimo problemomis, kurios trukdo sėkmingai socializacijai. Bendravimo meno vaikai mokosi šeimoje, tačiau mokykla- antroji vaiko bendruomenė po šeimos, kurioje jis socializuojasi, įgauna tam tikrų elgesio, bendravimo su bendraamžiais ir vyresniaisiais įgūdžių. Siekti šiltų pedagogo ir mokinio tarpasmeninių santykių vis sunkiau net ir tobulėjančiose ugdymo institucijose. Mokykloje, kaip ir kitose įstaigose, kur telkiasi įvairaus amžiaus, patirties, požiūrių žmonės, neapsieinama be konfliktų. Pedagoginiai konfliktai tarp mokinių ir mokytojų dažniausia prasideda tuomet, kai mokiniai ”įžengia“ į paauglystę. Pedagogini��� konfliktų atsiradimo priežastys yra labai įvairios. Tačiau, norint išsamiai sužinoti, kokie veiksniai įtakoja konfliktus klasėje, buvo pasirinktas kokybinis tyrimas. Jį atlikus paaiškėjo, kad konfliktai vyko dėl netinkamo paauglių elgesio, bei mokinių ir mokytojų antipatijos vienas kitam. Be to paaugliai mokykloje pasigenda jaunų specialist�����, kurie geriau supranta mokinius ir įžvelgia paauglių individualybę. Išryškėjo ir tai, kad konfliktų klasėje nesprendė tie pedagogai, kurie dalyvavo konflikte. Į pagalbą jie pasitelkė socialinį pedagogą arba administraciją. Konfliktų valdymą apsunkina ne tik mokytojų nemokėjimas valdyti konfliktus, bet ir tai, kad ugdymo įstaigoje, kurioje atliktas tyrimas, kol kas nėra ilgalaikių konfliktų prevencijos priemonių. / A growing young person meets different communication problems, which interfere in his/her socialization. Children learn communicative skills in the families, but school is the child’s second community after the family where they socialize, get some behaviour , communication with their friends and adults skills. It is becoming more and more difficult to seek for good relationship between children and teachers and children between children even in the developing educational institutions. In school as in any other institutions, where one can meet people with different age, experience, attitude, it is impossible to avoid conflicts. The most common time for pedagogical conflicts between teachers and school children is when they become teenagers. The reasons of the pedagogical conflicts are very different. But to understand that situation better and what actions make influence on the conflicts in the classroom a quantity research was chosen. When it was performed it became clear that the conflicts were because the teenagers misbehaved and because teachers and children didn’t like each other. Besides there are very few young teachers at school who understand young people better and see their individual personality more. It became evident that the teachers who had a conflict didn’t take part in solving them. They asked social educationalist or school administration to help them. The management of conflicts becomes more difficult because the teachers can’t manage the... [to full text]

1994 – 1996 m. trukęs pirmasis bei 1999 m. prasidėjęs ir iki šiol besitęsiantis antrasis Rusijos – Čečėnijos karinis konfliktas iškėlė neišspręstas tarptautinės teisės problemas Čečėnijos atžvilgiu – jos tarptautinio teisinio statuso ir pripažinimo klausimą, Rusijos vykdomos politikos Čečėnijos atžvilgiu neteisėtumą, tarptautinės bendrijos atsargią ir neutralią politiką ir šiurkščius žmogaus teisių pažeidimus regione. Karą Čečėnijoje sukėlė daugybė politinių, ekonominių, teisinių, karinių konfliktinių priežasčių, besitęsiančių nuo pat 1859 m., kai Čečėnija buvo jėga prijungta prie carinės Rusijos. / The study analyses the most important international legal issues concerning the conflict in Chechnya during 1994 – 1996 and 1999 - 2005. The author examines and evaluates the status of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the consequences of international non-recognition policy and the legality of Russian Federation (RF) military acts – which have features of acts of aggression and violation of human rights as well. The violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Chechnya has attracted the attention of international community, but no international law measures for solving the conflict have been applied.

Šiame darbe siekta išanalizuoti M. Montesori sistemos ugdymo įtaką konfliktų sprendimui Lietuvos montesorinėse ikimokyklinio ir pradinio ugdymo įstaigose. Siekiant šio tikslo, išnagrinėta M. Montesori pedagoginio metodo samprata, aptarti pagrindiniai teoriniai pedagoginės sistemos ir ugdymo ypatumai, palygintos tradicinės ir M Montesori ugdymo sistemos struktūra ir mokymo procesai, kurie įtakoja bendravimo ir konfliktų sprendimo kultūrą. Analizuojant M. Montesori pedagoginės sistemos įtaką konfliktiškumui Lietuvoje, bandyta nustatyti, aktualiausias šiuo metodu dirbančiose institucijose, problemas, atskleisti efektyviausius konfliktų sprendimo būdus ir pozityvių pedagoginių santykių kriterijus bei bendradarbiavimo pobūdį pedagogų kolektyve. Darbe aptariamos pedagoginių konfliktų atsiradimo priežastys, kylančios M. Montesori metodu dirbančiuose darželiuose ir pradinėse mokyklose. Tyrimo duomenų analizė parodė, kad ši sistema yra pakankamai realizuota Lietuvoje, tačiau kai kurios vaikų konfliktų priežastys visiškai neatitinka M. Montesori vaiko ugdymo filosofijos. Todėl galima teigti, kad laisvės idėja ir formuojamų moralinių vertybių sampratos ugdymas gali būti ne tik vienas iš svarbiausių M. Montesori pedagoginės sistemos principų, bet ir konfliktų sprendimo būdų. Apibendrinant galime teigti, jog tinkamas bendravimo ir bendradarbiavimo įgūdžių formavimas padės vaikams ieškoti įvairių konfliktų sprendimo būdų. / This study seeks to analyse an influence of M.Montessori education system on the solution of the conflicts in Lithuania Montessori preschool and primary education institutions. To achieve this, M.Montessori pedagogy method concept had been analysed; major theoretical features of the pedagogical system and education had been discussed; the traditional and Montessori education system structure and teaching processes that influence the culture of interaction and conflict solution had been compared. In the analysis of an influence of the Montessori pedagogical system on the conflicts in Lithuania the goal was to identify the most actual problems in the currently acting institutions, reveal the most effective ways of conflict solution and the positive criteria of the pedagogical relations and the nature of cooperation in the pedagogical collective. This study discusses the sources of the pedagogical conflicts that are found in the montesori kindergartens and primary schools. An analysis of the research material showed that this system is quite well implemented in Lithuania, though some sources of the conflicts among the children were totally inadequate to M.Montessori child education philosophy. Thus it could be stated that the idea of freedom and the development of the concept of the formed moral values could not only be one of the most important principals of the Montessory pedagogical system, but also act as conflict solution. Generalizing this, it could be stated a proper... [to full text]