Peace education offers potential for transforming violent conflict into peace between groups in conflict. The research literature on conflict transformation theory and peace education has identified key assumptions for building long-term peace following violent conflict. The extent to which peace education programs have incorporated these theoretical notions, however, is not well known. This thesis explored the extent to which key theoretical insights from the literature on conflict transformation theory and peace education are incorporated in a prominent peace education program, Seeds of Peace. Data collection consisted of interviews with ten program staff members and written documentation produced by Seeds of Peace. Employing the analytical framework developed from a review of the literature, a comparison between theoretical notions and Seeds of Peace programming was done. Findings of this study highlight the extent to which there are gaps between theory and practice, and a case is made for the establishment of a more explicit connection between theory and practice. Furthermore, the thesis highlights the importance of further studies to address the research gap.

no / While the general argument that it is easier and more cost-effective to prevent conflicts before the outbreak of violence has considerable attraction, a rigorous approach to estimating the cost and benefits of this policy is still lacking. The objective of this study is to contribute to the development of such an approach. The project involves six case studies, three retrospective (the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, and Rwanda) and three prospective (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and southern Sudan). Its main conclusion is that targeted programmes of conflict prevention are (or would have been) significantly cheaper than cure.

no / Wars, armed violence and insecurity continue to blight Sub-Saharan Africa. Preventing and reducing such conflict has become a key priority not only for African governments and peoples, but also for Europe and the rest of the world. But successes have been limited, and important lessons have not been properly learned. This timely and important book examines the continuing sources and dynamics of violent conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, and critically analyses policies and programmes to help to prevent, manage and reduce such conflicts

This study examined the consistency between verbal responses to hypothetical conflict scenarios and the actual conflict resolutions techniques children apply in everyday play. Twenty-one children were interviewed and observed in order to determine their conflict resolution strategies. During the interview process, each child was asked to finish 6 hypothetical conflict scenarios. During the observation portion, each child was observed in 2 conflict scenarios. Significant (p < .05) differences were found with regards to verbal responses for 3 scenarios, verbal and behavioral responses of females (females exhibited more socially acceptable conflict resolution strategies in their verbal responses, yet less socially acceptable conflict resolution strategies in their behavioral responses), and socially acceptable responses to conflict in verbal strategies. Results were discussed in light of previous research comparing gender differences and peer relationships to conflict resolution strategies.

Published Article / The purpose of this article is to report the findings of the study that investigated the causes of conflict in the township secondary schools – as viewed by the deputy principals. A questionnaire was developed and six deputy principals from six secondary schools of the Lejweleputswa district completed it. Data analysis was mainly qualitative, with numbers and tables used to enhance the qualitative understanding. It was found that the shortage of resources, poor communication and taking care of learners of absent teachers were the major causes of conflict in the schools surveyed. The conclusion was that conflict existed in the township secondary schools, and that the shortage of resources and teacher absenteeism played a major role in teacher conflict. It was recommended that the use of available resources be properly monitored, and that stress and conflict management sessions be introduced for teachers.

The association between constructive and destructive conflict and children’s (age three) externalizing behaviors was examined utilizing the Building Strong Families (BSF) data set. The study included 3,328 mothers and 3,148 fathers reporting on conflict behavior, and mother’s reports on children’s externalizing behaviors. My hypotheses indicated that the more constructive conflict, the less externalizing behaviors exhibited while the more destructive conflict, the more externalizing behaviors shown by the children. The majority of the literature demonstrated similar results to my hypotheses, however primarily focusing on mother’s conflict rather than the father’s conflict methods. Similarly, there was little focus on constructive conflict in the literature. Younger children (age three) were of interest for this study due to the lack of research involving these variables and this age group. The specific emotions theory was utilized to shape and inform my hypotheses. The results for this study supported my hypothesis concerning destructive conflict, but rejected the other discussing constructive conflict. Mothers’ correlations of conflict methods with externalizing behaviors were statistically significant while the fathers’ correlations were not. These analyses indicate further research of constructive conflict and its effects on younger children.

This thesis explores the political dimensions of development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) in the context of oil extraction in Sudan. It provides a detailed perspective on the experience of displacement of the local people in the oil-rich areas of Southern Sudan. It also offers an important insight into the local politics of this much-publicized dimension of Sudan’s political crises. The analytical frameworks common to the field of DIDR, mostly developed through studies of the impact of dams, mainly deal with economic and social aspects of displacement. These frameworks are inadequate for explaining oil-induced displacement, because they largely ignore the political contexts of DIDR: the focus of this thesis. Sudan’s oil project is carried out in the name of the “national interest.” But in reality, it serves the interests of the main beneficiaries: Sudan’s Northern “Arab” and Muslim elites and their supporters. Many Southern Sudanese have had to resort to arms, partly to protect their interests in oil development, and in order to contest the purported “national interest” championed by the government. This thesis problematizes the idea of a “national interest” in Sudan in order to question who benefits from development projects that cause human displacement. It argues that conflicts of interests between central government elites and local peoples best explain why displacement connected to natural resource development occurs in weak states, such as Sudan. As a result, ethnic, religious, linguistic, regional and other identities are often exploited by elites in such states in an “instrumentalist” way so as to gain, or retain, power and access to resources. This is, at the expense of local people adversely affected by development projects.

The thesis analyses the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh which both parties claim to be their historical territory. The thesis explains how the conflict started and continued with a full-scale military conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is commonly referred to as the Nagorno-Karabakh War. One of the most important chapter of the thesis is the description of roles played by foreign mediators such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey. All those countries pursued their own geopolitical and economic goals in the region, and wished to actively participate in it in order to spread their influence. The European Union has constantly been playing an important role in settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict thanks to its active involvement in all peacekeeping and mediation processes in the region. Nonetheless, despite all international efforts, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh still continues as of today, and the parties cannot come to any compromise due to the antagonistic nature of their territorial disputes for Nagorno-Karabakh. Both, Azerbaijan and Armenia have started actively deploying their troops on the mutual borders, which raises fears among the international community that a new war for Nagorno-Karabakh might start already in the near future.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, June, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-58)