Conflict Dynamics Galtungs Conflict Triangle IB Global Politics

Conflict Dynamics: Galtung’s Conflict Triangle IB Global Politics UWC Costa Rica

Johan Galtung • We understand that Violence is any physical, emotional, verbal, institutional, structural or spiritual behaviour, attitude, policy or condition that diminishes, dominates or destroys others and ourselves. • Violence is one of the possible responses to specific conflict situations. This does not imply that violence is unavoidable. • Violence is not inevitable and it must not be confused with conflict.

Galtung explored causes of violent conflict • In societies with conflict, - possible to identify both specific causes and more general conditions that make violent conflict more likely • Different sides unlikely to agree on causes • ‘Behaviours, attitudes and contradictions act together to encourage violent conflict’ - Galtung

Behaviour Violence, genocide, insurgency attacks, discriminatory acts Manifest Level: How people act encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Galtung’s Conflict Triangle Latent Level; How people think encourages conflict; deeper causes of conflict Attitudes/Assumptions: Racism, discriminatory attitudes, sexism, victimhood, trauma Contradictions Inequality, dispute over territory or resources,

Conditions making violent conflict more likely Conditions making violent conflict less likely

Conditions making violent conflict more Conditions making violent conflict less likely: • Little or no democratic means of dispute resolution; minorities excluded from political representation • Democratic institutions exist, with full political equality and participation • Equal sharing of resources and wealth • Wealth, territory or resources shared unequally and controlled by powerful elites • Equality of opportunity for all • Government respects the rule of law • Poverty • Government is above the law, making arbitrary and illegitimate decisions • Judicial system is absent or interfered with, not independent or fair • Human rights are abused • Disputes can be resolved fairly through a fair and independent judicial system • Respect for human rights (especially of minorities)

Behaviour Violence, genocide, insurgency attacks, discriminatory acts Manifest Level: How people act encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Applying Galtung’s Conflict Triangle: Syria Conflict Latent Level; How people think encourages conflict; deeper causes of conflict Attitudes/Assumptions: Racism, discriminatory attitudes, sexism, victimhood, trauma Contradictions Inequality, dispute over territory or resources, Taken from Murphy and Gleek (2016)

Behaviour Violence, genocide, insurgency attacks, discriminatory acts Manifest Level: How people act encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Attitudes/Assumptio ns: Latent Level; How people think Assad government encourages conflict; believes it should stay deeper causes of conflict in power; that rebel forces are ‘terrorists’ challenging legitimate authority of the state. Sunni rebels feel Assad government is not legitimate, demanding greater representation and political equality; Sunnis marginalized by Assad-led Shia Applying Galtung’s Conflict Triangle: Syria Conflict Contradictions Inequality, dispute over territory or resources, Taken from Murphy and Gleek (2016)

Behaviour Violence, genocide, insurgency attacks, discriminatory acts Manifest Level: How people act encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Attitudes/Assumptio ns: Latent Level; How people think Assad government encourages conflict; believes it should stay deeper causes of conflict in power; that rebel forces are ‘terrorists’ challenging legitimate authority of the state. Sunni rebels feel Assad government is not legitimate, demanding greater representation and political equality; Sunnis marginalized by Assad-led Shia Applying Galtung’s Conflict Triangle: Syria Conflict Contradictions Sunni majority is in in conflict with President’s Alawite sect, which has drawn in Sunni and Shia regional powers. Sunnis feel marginalised by Assad Shia led government; Islamic State believes it is right to create Sunni Muslim caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Gleek (2016) –Taken doesfrom not. Murphy accept

Behaviour Assad government: military campaign against insurgency, chemical weapon attacks (Aug 2013) Sunni rebel forces: violent insurgency against Assad governemnt Islamic Level: state: military campaign to establish Sunni Islamic Manifest caliphate, fought against Shia Muslims and Assad How people act government; execution of western journalists encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Attitudes/Assumptio ns: Latent Level; How people think Assad government encourages conflict; believes it should stay deeper causes of conflict in power; that rebel forces are ‘terrorists’ challenging legitimate authority of the state. Sunni rebels feel Assad government is not legitimate, demanding greater representation and political equality; Sunnis marginalized by Assad-led Shia Applying Galtung’s Conflict Triangle: Syria Conflict Contradictions Sunni majority is in in conflict with President’s Alawite sect, which has drawn in Sunni and Shia regional powers. Sunnis feel marginalised by Assad Shia led government; Islamic State believes it is right to create Sunni Muslim caliphate across Syria and Iraq and Gleek (2016) –Taken doesfrom not. Murphy accept

Behaviour Manifest Level: How people act encourages conflict, immediate evidence of conflict Applying Galtung’s Conflict Triangle: Latent Level; How people think encourages conflict; deeper causes of conflict Attitudes/Assumptions: Contradictions Taken from Murphy and Gleek (2016)