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Requirements
for Dealing with Conflicts Constructively
Change
the fundamental method of viewing solutions to conflicts:
Conflicts should not be considered from a viewpoint of personal gain and loss,
but from the that of the common goal to be strived for. This means that the aim
of the conflict from the very start is that the parties achieve their aims at
least partially.
The threat or use of violence should be renounced:
Conventional patterns of communication such as threat and accusation need to be
replaced by cooperative patterns of understanding and explanation. A mandatory
requirement for de-escalation and finding a constructive solution to a conflict
is that the threat or use of violence is missing.
Do not consider personal perceptions as exclusively correct.
Since a clouding of perceptive ability is a typical sign of escalating
conflicts, personal perception and interpretation of the events cannot be seen
as being absolute. What is needed rather is to subject them to control and
modification in order to recognise personal roles in the conflict. The readiness
to do this is an important step in recognising the rights of the other party to
the conflict.
Introduce a third party:
Controlling your own perceptions is best achieved by introducing an independent
third party in the form of a mediator
(see section on Mediation).
As an
instance of confidence, this can contribute to both sides achieving a common
view of things, but can never suffice alone. The will to achieve a cooperative
solution must also be added.
Joint discussions instead of fait accompli:
As a rule, dishing up facts has an escalatory effect on the course of a
conflict, since the opposing side will not be in a position to accept these
without losing face. In order to arrive at a stage where joint discussions are
possible, advance discussions are frequently required where the basic rules for
further meetings and discussions are initially determined, and the way is paved
for further negotiations. They might also prove advantageous in deflating any
over ambitious expectations of success. Joint discussions can be held in many
forms. In the form of round tables, they have found acceptance in political
culture over the last few years.
Solutions concerning the interests of all participants must be oriented
towards those who have to bear the consequences:
Solving conflicts should not be dictated by the interests of the strongest
party. Solutions must be formulated in such a way that they benefit all parties
and do not form a basis for new conflicts. Moreover, they need to make a
contribution to reducing structural force and it must to be possible to measure
them against ethnic standards.
[Autor: Günther Gugel, Tübingen
Institute for Peace Education; Editor: Ragnar Müller]
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