ABSTRACT
In the first chapter I have argued for the adoption of a broader perspective on conflict; a perspective which suggests the centrality of conflict to all social relations, and makes it clear that the term conflict can not be confined to overt violence only. I have also indicated that my concern is not the elimination, prevention, or suppression of conflicts, but rather their management. Many scholars, from a wide variety of disciplines, including law, sociology, politics, and anthropology, have attempted to understand, and analyze, the best means of managing conflicts. The aim of this chapter is to offer a framework for the study of a particular conflict management mechanism; namely, the pacific intervention of a third party. Conflict management by traditional means, such as isolating the parties, or adjudicating their differences, fails to deal with the underlying dimensions of conflict. The third party approach, described below, is commonly known as the problem-solving, or third party consultation approach. It involves specific skills, it requires innovative thinking and, if successful, it can get at the underlying causes of a conflict and permit its resolution.
