Internal immediate cause: leadership extremism. Do conflicting parties’ leaders show moderation in their words and actions and seek bilateral or multilateral negotiations to resolve disputes, or do they engage in demagogic rhetoric, provocative acts or coercion to achieve their objectives? Studies show that individual leaders’ behavior can shape the political atmosphere and promote or discourage conflict. Coercive actions provoke like reactions, escalating conflicts into vicious cycles of increasing violence and moving parties further from mutual agreements. Conciliatory behavior, moderate declarations of intent and enacting institutional reforms and policies can enhance the likelihood of non-violent outcomes to disputes. These accommodative actions help to preempt extreme demands and can foster a "virtuous circle" of increasing cooperation. Burundi, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Moldova are notable examples of inflammatory rhetoric feeding conflict; Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere’s ethnicity policy illustrates accommodationist leadership.
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 05:37:20 +0000
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