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PurposeThis paper aims to add to the current knowledge about conflict management by examining the relationships between conflict type, conflict expression intensity and the use of the conflict management approach.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test theory-based hypotheses using a field study of new product development teams in an interdisciplinary Masters program (Study 1) and an experimental vignette study (Study 2).FindingsResults show that people are more likely to respond to task conflict and conflicts expressed with less intensity using collectivistic conflict management approaches (i.e. problem-solving, compromising and yielding), and to relationship conflicts and conflicts expressed with higher intensity through forcing, an individualistic conflict management approach. Information acquisition and negative emotions experienced by team members mediate these relationships.Practical implicationsKnowing how the characteristics of the conflict (type and expression intensity) affect conflict management, managers can counteract the tendency to use dysfunctional, forcing conflict management approaches in response to high intensity conflicts, as well as to relationship conflicts and support the tendency to use collectivistic conflict management approaches in response to low intensity conflict, as well as task conflicts.Originality/valueThe authors examine an alternative to the prevailing view that conflict management serves as a moderator of the relationship between conflict and team outcomes. The research shows that conflict type and intensity of conflict expression influence the conflict management approach as a result of the information and emotion they evoke. The authors open avenues for future research on the complex and intriguing relationships between conflict characteristics and the conflict management approach.

Conflict-free Conflict Resolution (CFCR) is an emerging theory and practice of conflict resolution. Building upon traditions of innovation within the field of dispute resolution, as well as insights from a variety of disciplines including conflict studies, peace studies and developmental psychology, CFCR aims to be a unity-centered practice. Both the method and outcomes of CFCR are attempts to reflect the possibilities of helping to create conditions of unity between individuals and communities. The purpose of this article is primarily descriptive, aiming to give an initial overview of CFCR as a practice. This description is rooted in the initial applications of CFCR in a number of contexts. In this article, the theoretical underpinnings of the CFCR model are summarized, CFCR's connections with the contemporary conflict resolution scholarship are explored, and the three stages of CFCR are outlined.

The recent reduction in the incidence of warfare is impressive. However, it will not necessarily prove a lasting success. While the international community of troop contributors & development donors has become better in preventing & stopping armed conflicts, this has not been repeated in the area of post-conflict peace-maintenance. A number of factors are responsible for these disappointing results, including the behavior of external actors in post-conflict societies. Most importantly, however, creating lasting peace following conflicts has proven time & again to be difficult & costly. So far, the international community has shown only limited willingness to address the discrepancy between its success in ending wars & its failure in building lasting peace. References. Adapted from the source document.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to suggest to the conflict study scholars a new instrument – the "conflict volcano" that could be an effective and appropriate tool for conflict analysis.Design/methodology/approach– The "conflict volcano" model was designed as a qualitative method for conflict analysis with a focus on cause analysis. It was developed on the basis of "conflict tree" which underwent modifications.Findings– The benefit of the "conflict volcano" is that it covers all aspects of conflict starting from root cause to catalysts and can reveal a wide range of causes: material, immaterial, institutional. It clearly frames factors; this helps practitioners to determine what should be considered as causes and effects. Moreover, the "conflict volcano" reflects major theoretical representations of the conflict and its aspects. While the "conflict volcano" model can study conflict phases from latent until open violence, it cannot reflect the dynamic of conflict and cannot demonstrate its evolution to post-conflict phases.Practical implications– The "conflict volcano" can be used as a conflict analysis tool by practicing experts and scholars. Academicians can use it in order to understand conflict and especially to reveal its causes. Practicing experts can use it in order to design a conflict transformation strategy.Originality/value– This instrument does not pretend to be a new invention in the field of conflict studies, but rather a new conceptualization, schematization of old concepts and instruments.

Antitrust issues increasingly reach beyond national borders. This paper addresses the question whether such issues can reasonably be solved by an extraterritorial application of national competition law or whether they call for an international competition policy of its own. The analysis is based upon 20 case studies which are examined with regard to the suitability of the effects doctrine and the principles of comity as conflict resolution mechanisms. The case studies demonstrate that conflicts in international antitrust are most likely to arise where national competition laws differ from each other or where national authorities are pursuing divergent industrial policy objectives.

Armed conflict continued around the world in 2012. Many are captured on the 2013 CHart of Conflict included with this volume, and further details can be found in the IISS Armed Conflict Database. In a section new to The Military Balance this year, the IISS examines the wars in Afghanistan and Syria, analysing the course of both wars from November 2012 to November 2013. Both involve conflict between insurgents and governments, but with varying degrees of external assistance to all warring parties. A short concluding analytical essay compares the role of key military factors in both conflicts, offering some general conclusions about modern insurgency and counter-insurgency. Adapted from the source document.

The war in Lebanon presented a fundamental challenge for U.S. policy in the Middle East, but also an opportunity -- if Washington can transform the fragile cease-fire into a lasting & comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace settlement. Adapted from the source document.

The crises of the post-colonial state in Africa have led to civil wars in various African states. In several of these war affected countries, the state has disintegrated and occasioned myriad adverse consequences, including deaths, injuries, the mass displacement of people, and the collapse of the systems of governance. Against this background, this article examines the methods that have been used to terminate civil wars in Africa, and to set into motion the processes of peacebuilding. The article argues that in order to build durable peace in Africa's post-conflict societies, the post-colonial state needs to be democratically reconstituted.