A Culture of Conflict Resolution Research


Written by Huma Iqbal • Region • December 2009

South Asia, dubbed the ‘hub' of conflict, provides enormous scope for studying the linkage between research and conflict resolution.From the decolonization of South Asia in 1947-48 to date, one can examine the perpetuation of various conflicts which have caused immense material and physical destruction. When around one-third of the world's poor live in South Asia and the region is still a victim of conflicts of different types, it is unfortunate to note that the role of research to help the process of conflict management and resolution is quite limited. Lack of proper research institutes, think tanks and the absence of the culture of research and reasoning tend to impede investigative work on the study of conflicts and their peaceful resolution.

It is high time that a purposeful discourse in South Asia on the importance of research for the management and resolution of conflict takes place. There is also a need to examine in detail how research can make a difference in terms of a proper understanding of the various conflicts existing in South Asia.

The linkage between conflict resolution and research is an established fact in the context of conducting path-breaking studies which could help the management and resolution of conflicts at various levels.

Conflict resolution research is relatively a new field of study. The enormous destruction caused by armed conflicts whether at the inter or intra-state level has created a wide scope for conducting purposeful, meaningful and investigative research to save mankind from sustaining violent conflicts.

It is important to fully understand the need for Conflict Resolution Research. Conflict resolution is another form of peace-making. Its study also needs scientific treatment as in any other social sciences. That apart, a thorough understanding of the country and the region in question is important to address the conflict in a more focused manner.

Understanding of the sources of conflicts calls for a deeper look into various aspects - backlog of history, state structures, perceptions of the elite, psychological aspects of the conflicts, asymmetric relations and symbolic and real causes of the 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. Both seem to impact bilateral and regional relations that, in turn, also generate conflicts. This occasionally happens in Indo-Nepal, Indo-Bangladesh, Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Sri Lankan relations. While minorities are also a source of conflicts in the region, global political impacts also contribute to creating conflicts.

Conflict Resolution Research (CRR) means a process which can help people, groups and countries to cope with situations which cause violence and destruction. This emerged as a result of the changing nature of conflicts in the post-second world war era. However, today with the deepening of conflicts at various levels in the developing world, especially South Asia, where the need for investigating the causes and implications of conflict has became very obvious, not all tools for such research are being employed. Here is a look at the status of CR research in South Asia:

India - more focused research needed

Research on Conflict Resolution in India is still in a primitive stage as a part of national strategic thinking. For a long time, strategic thought in India primarily remained in the state domain. Strategic inputs outside the government came from research institutes and organisations funded by the government of India. Until the early 1990s, the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses remained the premier research institute working on Indian security issues and there were no independent organisations outside the state sphere. There were two other organisations - the United Services Institute (USI), India's oldest ex servicemen's organisation and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), which also focused on security issues. These organisations were also funded by different organs of the state.

The lack of adequate funding for such independent initiatives was another reason for the absence of independent research organisations until the 1990s. The state neither directly funded nor encouraged external funding of independent organisations. Therefore, the responsibility for providing strategic inputs to the state was primarily left to academic institutions - colleges and universities. Besides funding them, however, the government never shared any information with these research institutes or academic institutions.

The failure to impart research techniques at pre-university level, in terms of collecting data, compiling, tabulating and analyzing, is a major handicap in terms of building research as a career in social studies. Though research methodology is taught in many colleges as a course, it remains ineffective; consequently, independent researchers in social sciences, especially in defence studies take time to understand the complexities of undertaking research in an effective manner.

Sri Lanka - towards stable peace

At different levels - international, national, organizational, family and interpersonal - different strategies are employed by parties to the conflict and interested third parties. Due to the intensity and the destructive nature of the ethno-political conflict between the majority Sinhala community and the minority Tamils, CR research in Sri Lanka is focused on the ethnic conflict in the past. Sri Lankan ethno-political conflict is an over-studied area. Since the conflict was brutal and needed to be resolved immediately, it drew attention, locally as well as internationally. Financial resources were also readily available. Strategic Conflict Assessment (2005) was undertaken with the financial assistance of five major international funding agencies. Over-focus on the ethnic conflict naturally led to negligence of other critical areas of CR praxis. Conflict and use of violence at the community level is a serious problem in this country and in line with the international trends, several Mediation Boards are functioning in various localities. No serious investigation on community level conflict or the operational style and the issues of the mediation boards have been undertaken so far.

In May 2009, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which spearheaded the violent struggle against the government, was decisively defeated by the Sri Lankan armed forces. With the military victory over the LTTE, the interest in ethnic conflict had waned to a large extent. Many in Sri Lanka, especially within the dominant group, believe that the conflict had already been resolved albeit by military means. For them, an ethnic conflict no longer exists in Sri Lanka. They believe that they are in a post-conflict scenario, although it is in fact a post-war situation. Secondly, the destructive element of the conflict has obviously been removed by the elimination of the LTTE, which make the conflict less attractive for funders and researchers. Many academics have already shifted their attention to other issues such as post-war development, democracy and good governance; others have started to discourage post-graduate students from undertaking conflict resolution research. In a way, CR research in Sri Lanka, currently, is facing a major challenge. The need for CR research however, is strong as ever. Sri Lanka as a society should ideally be moving from the post-war scenario - or what could be termed transitional peace - to stable peace. Research needs to be undertaken to identify issues of and strategies for transition from post-war to stable peace. Research should also be expanded to other levels of conflict and conflict resolution issues.

Bangladesh: CR studies still in formative stage

Conflicts in Bangladesh either manifest or remain latent, taking different shapes and forms at different times. The country, with 150 million people crammed in an area of 144,000 sq. km, had a traumatic birth amidst a violent armed struggle. In the aftermath, the country's failure to sort out the ideological conflict that it inherited from history virtually kept the society polarized along issues such as nationalism, secularism and models of development. Most of the conflicts in the society are endemic in the sense that they are rooted in the very dynamics of regional history whereas the others are structural in so far as they are embedded in the socio-political structures of the country.

Currently, Bangladesh is confronted with continuing dissension on core national issues such as national identity, development strategy, role of religion in national life, national security and foreign relations, etc. Lack of democratic practices and institutions, unequal distribution in power, influence and opportunity, destructive parochial politics, narrow interests and lack of tolerance of the political parties, suppression of fundamental and political rights of the citizens, inequality before law and justice, good governance etc. make the conflict scenario of Bangladesh even worse.

Therefore, the issue of peace and conflict studies in Bangladesh is still in its formative stage as few institutions (government and non-governmental) are involved in it, and the approaches for understanding the conflict dynamics in the society remain are mired in few perceptions greatly influenced by security and development paradigms.

Nepal - new roadblocks

Ten years of civil war, state of emergency and the merciless killing of more than 13 thousand innocents proved that Nepal is weak structurally, conceptually and institutionally for any kind of conflict resolution methods or practices. This general lack of understanding on conflict resolution research proved costly to the Nepali state as it relied heavily on a military solution to the Maoist conflict. It was only after 2006 that the Nepali political parties negotiated with the Maoists, agreed on the core demand of the election to a Constituent Assembly and the rebels also decided to lock up their weapons together with that of the Nepal Army in UN monitored cantonment sites. However, despite the initial euphoria, the Nepali peace process has now hit roadblocks of a different kind. A simmering discontent among people has from the last two years exploded into a full-fledged conflict along ethnic, racial and linguistic lines. Newer potential fault-lines have emerged in the otherwise harmonious religious character of the nation after the reinstated parliament abruptly got away with Hinduism and declared the country ‘secular' without properly considering the implications of such a rushed and hasty declaration. The consequence is that for the first time there have been riots and blasts on the issue of religion. Nepal must not only analyze why continued conflict resolution attempts have failed in the terai and other areas of the country wherein different ethnic groups are demanding a plethora of demands but also evaluate the frailty on the part of the government structures on social motivation and press handling, mobilizing academics and intellectuals for peace-building despite such a heavy price paid during the Maoist insurgency.

More research, free and frank discussion, deliberation on various concepts and models and processes of conflict resolution are required at the level of political parties and the civil society if the country is to make headway towards peace, development and prosperity after a brutal decade of death and destruction.

Conflict Resolution Research in Afghanistan

‘...awareness among local people about conflict management is important.'

- Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Senior Research Analyst,

Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Kabul

How do you see the history of conflicts in Afghanistan?

In Afghanistan, the conflict which began with Saur Revolution in 1978 by members of the PDPA (People Democratic Party of Afghanistan) lasted for 14 years. During this period the northern neighbour of Afghanistan (former Soviet Union) invaded the country and caused chaos which cost the lives of over one million Afghans. By the time the Mujahideen took over Afghanistan in 1992, the Soviets had already withdrawn their forces and afterwards the civil war began that killed thousands of Afghans.

Did the conflicts end there?

The next phase of conflict began with the emergence of a radical Taliban who ruled more than 90 percent of the country from 1994 to 2001. The Taliban were ousted from Afghanistan in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks and operation Enduring Freedom. From 2002 to 2004 the diversion of resources to Iraq, US aversion to nation-building in Afghanistan and deals/compromises with commanders and warlords, paved the way for the current conflict and the resurgence of Taliban in 2005. With the re-emphasis on the "right war", western focus again shifted to Afghanistan in 2008.

With conflicts varying at such intense levels, what is the scope of conflict resolution research in the country?

It is important to understand the scope of research in Afghanistan. However, such research faces challenges in there because most of it is grounded in western frameworks, where assessments are made by people who are outsiders and have never lived in Afghanistan; thus, a historical context is missing. Also, since Afghanistan is not one country but 380 different districts, each district being unique merits special attention. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work in Afghanistan. What is needed is to understand the reality through a framework that is grounded in the local context.

How can you work within the local context?

There are a few researchers in Afghanistan who are well-versed in the language as well as social and cultural norms. They can understand the local relevance of any dispute which may arise and therefore are in a better position to extract results. They are not attention seekers and whatever research they carry out ought to be fruitful in the long run.

Do you think public participation is important in this regard?

In order to address the issue, awareness among local people about conflict management is important. Also, conflict resolution frameworks need to be developed locally, not superimposed from outside. All issues - security, development, governance, livelihoods, etc. need to be understood in terms of how they affect or create conflicts within the Afghan society. There is also a need for making each district a separate unit of analyses.