The Management of International Conflict
In: American behavioral scientist: ABS, Band 38, Heft 1, S. 133-152
ISSN: 1552-3381
This article begins by discussing why there was a period of relative peace in the conflictprone international system following the Second World War. It then asks why events have proceeded so disastrously in Yugoslavia since the end of the Cold War. It is argued that Sir Geoffrey Vickers's views on conflict processes and their management, in particular his stress on the stabilizing forces of trust and bonds of membership, can help us understand what has gone wrong in Yugoslavia. The final section returns to the question of the state of the international system in the current transitional period, and it is suggested that the building of a sense of solidarity vital for coping with our massive global problems could be enhanced by a wider understanding of Vickers's views.