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Conflict
Resolution Research in South Asia
Lok Raj Baral
Three
words 'conflict', ' resolution' and 'research' can also be dealt
with separately as a unit or by taking them together. Conflict
is more or less a negative concept and implies both regulated
conflict such as political dissent and discussion, peaceful protest
and movements etc. Unregulated conflicts are more or less extra-constitutional
that tends to be violent during its operation. It is generally
caused by, anti-state sentiment, ethnic, and regional, sectarian
and by what Samuel P. Huntington has stated "Clash of Civilizations".
Even regulated conflict poses a challenge to basic assumptions,
strategies and tactics to be adopted by the state, individuals
or organizations. Resolution on the other hand is a positive idea
that tries to find out ways and means for ending conflicts, despite
the complexity involved in achieving such objectives set before.
And research is a tool to investigate into the origins, development
and dynamics of conflict. It should try to make a neutral value
position in determining the roots, intensity, scope, and means
for resolving conflicts existing in society, polity and in bilateral,
regional and global level relationships.
'Conflict resolution research' in South Asia is indeed a challenging
task and needs to be comprehensive. The proposed paper thus tries
to encapsulate the following areas for its thematic development.
- Conflict
resolution is another form of peace making. Its study also needs
scientific treatment as in any other social sciences. A science
of peace or what is also called "paxology" is a "social
science which can now be built up on the basis" of other
social sciences. Its research is based on both deskwork and
field woks.
- Understanding
of the country and the region
(Society, state, political economy, emerging trends of ethnocentrism,
crises of governance and system maintenance, cross-border terrorism
as essential components of research)
- Bilateral
relations and sources of conflict: Backlog of history, state-structures,
elite's perceptions, psychological aspects for generating conflicts,
asymmetric relations, symbolic and real causes of conflict.
Most countries of the region are indo-centric and their elites
adopt policies either deliberately for their own survival or
for valid national interests. And both seem to impact on bilateral
and regional relations that in turn also generate conflicts
as occasionally happens in Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-Pakistan
and Indo- Sri Lankan relations. Minorities are also the source
of conflicts in the region's states. And for remedial measures,
countries are also engaged in mitigating the grievances of minorities,
ethnic groups, dalits, gender and regions and many countries
have been able to contain, even resolve the conflicts. Sometimes,
conflicts have been resolved by coercion and at times by mediation.
In Sri Lanka and the Punjab of India, coercive power became
effective to resolve the crisis, while in Nepal and Bangladesh
(CHT), negotiation and understanding seem to be effective. In
Nepal, The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and the Maoists were successful
for ending the ten-year long armed insurgency in 2006 bringing
the Maoists to the mainstream liberal democratic politics.
- The
global political and impacts have also contributed to generate
conflicts. For studying this aspect, a sound theoretical framework
of 'linkage politics' needs to be developed. The role of third
party mediation and facilitation is also acceptable. In Sri
Lanka, the third party mediation or facilitation did not succeed
with the present government deciding to handle the ethnic crisis
through military action. In Nepal, however, the United Nations
has been involved not for mediation but for facilitation. The
United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) monitors the code of
conduct reached between the Maoists and the SPA. Moreover, Indian
facilitation to reach 12-point understanding could help to end
the conflict. Back-channel diplomacy then used by India while
negotiating with the Maoists and later while reconciling to
the Maoist led government by India and other powers of the world
including the US suggest that the external cooperation was useful
for peaceful landing of the Maoists.
Conflict
resolution research would focus on structural and non-state
actors, bilateral, regional and global dynamics and their impacts
on each individual country. It would also base on ground realities
of the region and not entirely on the theories and research
methodology used elsewhere. A study of the origin, nature, dynamics
and sustainability of conflicts alone can draw inferences for
resolution. It has been now realized in India that the resolution
of the Maoist insurgency in India is dependent on the capacity
of state to mitigate the hardships of the poorest of the poor
people. It has been accepted that military solution without
concomitant economic and social policies and their implementation
would not be adequate. The idea of "inclusive growth"
is being recommended in order to transform the conditions of
the people. In other countries also, people are prone to conflict
due abject poverty or by other non-ideological factors.
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