Conflict

In terms of aggressive behaviours, one could imagine a continuum between Active Aggression (which includes violence & brutality) and Passive Aggression. Passive-aggressive behaviour refers to passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to authoritative instructions in interpersonal or occupational situations. Sometimes a method of dealing with stress or frustration, it results in the person attacking other people in subtle, indirect, and seemingly passive ways. It can manifest itself as resentment, stubbornness, procrastination, sullenness, or intentional failure at doing requested tasks. For example, someone who is passive-aggressive might take so long to get ready for a party they do not wish to attend, that the party is nearly over by the time they arrive.

An overview of conflict using African conflict resolution initiatives as a case study of KM for conflict resolution, revealed that the methods used by African institutions are not adequate to manage knowledge to eradicate the causes of conflict, provide early warning of conflict, or produce a synthetic knowledge product for wise decisions and successful actions. However, the literature alerted the researcher to a few important themes related to the research problem that will serve as focus for field research to learn additional KM principles and practices that could be applied to conflict resolution. The following themes were identified to investigate how knowledge of Africa should be managed to promote positive outcomes for Africa:

A clear understanding of the strategies and tactics available in conflict situations is vital for both facilitators and participants in conflict. The ability to engage conflict in a proactive, measured and rational way is vital in helping achieve your objectives, and so it is important to understand some of the available strategies and tactics beforehand:

• Avoidance this is a classic passive aggressive strategy and includes postponement, control process, resorting to formal rules , equivocation , ignoring the conflict , 'fogging' or misunderstanding the position and the argument

• Maintain quid-pro-quo or eye-for-an-eye conflict that brings up the injustices of the past and the associated emotions, agreeing on rules for maintenance going forward
• Reduce inquire , fragment , compromise, write research & position papers, compromise, develop “strategic ambiguity”, create partnerships, highlight common interest
  

The way in which we define something has a tremendous impact in our approach to that subject - this is as true for the term KM as it is for conflict. Here we present some ideas for facilitators that may stimulate a different and more creative experience of conflict:

Defining conflict

• “An expressed struggle between at least 2 interdependent parties, who perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards, and interference from the other party in achieving their goals.”

• "a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns"
  "state of open, often prolonged fighting; a battle or war."

• "A state of disharmony between incompatible or antithetical persons, ideas, or interests; a clash.
• "A psychic struggle, often unconscious, resulting from the opposition or simultaneous functioning of mutually exclusive impulses, desires, or tendencies." (Psychology)
  

The premise of conflict prevention is that conflict can be averted through the building of trust between role players, coalition formation and negotiated settlements. Conflict prevention mechanisms must be in place, supported by early warning and risk assessment systems. Perhaps the most important integrated project for creating a peaceful and secure environment for African development is the establishment of a CEWS of the AU. According to the Protocol of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), timely information collected through a CEWS will be used by the Peace and Security Council on potential conflicts and threats to peace and security in Africa. The CEWS will be linked to regional situation rooms. Decisions on the best course of action will be based on this intelligence, and should preventive diplomacy fail, peacekeepers may be deployed to prevent violence.

TITLE: Fluid Populations. Porous Borders: Can a Regional Emergency Early Warning mechanism mitigate against the impact of disaster situations? (working title)

AUTHOR: Miss H. Nanjala Nyabola

ORGANISATION: The University of Oxford

POSTAL ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 61666
Nairobi 00200
KENYA